Israel and Iran trade strikes, threatening to drag the region back into full-scale war

Israel and Iran traded fire Monday in their first attacks since the U.S. struck a ceasefire with Tehran two months ago. The Iranian military said hours later that it was halting offensive operations as the renewed hostilities threatened to drag the Middle East back into a full-scale war.

Since the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran on Feb. 28, the war has shaken the global economy, driven energy prices up around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive. Officials have been unable to turn the April ceasefire into a deal to permanently end the conflict.

During the truce, Iran has maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passage for the world’s oil and natural gas whose closure was the primary reason global fuel prices skyrocketed. Israel has continued to strike Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in Lebanon, and pushed deeper into that