The web of fractious alliances and dysfunctional ceasefires shows how destabilised the region remains.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirate (AP) — Israel launched airstrikes early Monday targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire from Tehran, attacks that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a regional war.

Several front pages cover the agreement between Israel and Iran to halt attacks on one another, following an exchange of fire on Monday.

Waves of missile attacks by Israel and Iran marked the worst fighting in months and threatened a resumption of all-out war. The escalation came after Israel appeared to defy President Donald Trump's calls for restraint.

The fragile ceasefire that had held between Iran and Israel since April 8 collapsed on Monday, plunging West Asia into one of its most turbulent periods of direct military confrontation on the 100th day of the ongoing conflict.

Iran views the Strait of Hormuz as a key strategic deterrent against potential attacks by the US and Israel, according to an Iranian academic. Tehran aims to bolster this leverage amid escalating regional hostilities and diplomatic uncertainty.

The exchange marked a major escalation in the already tense region. It came on the 100th day of a war that began on Feb., further complicating efforts to end Middle East fighting.