Israel steps up campaign in Lebanon, as Iran keeps stranglehold on shipping

The war in the Middle East raged on multiple fronts on Monday, as the U.S. and Israel pummeled military targets in Iran’s capital, Israel stepped up its campaign against Iran-backed militants in Lebanon and Iran retaliated with a drone strike that temporarily shut Dubai’s airport, a crucial hub for travelers.

Fears of a global energy crisis persisted, even as a small number of ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is usually transported.

Iranian strikes on commercial ships in and around the strait, and even just the threat of those attacks, have slowed shipping there to a trickle. That has dramatically increased the price of oil and put pressure on Washington to do something to ease the pain for consumers and the global economy.

Brent crude, the international standard, remained over $100 a barrel on Monday. U.S.