Nikkei 225, Kospi, Hang Seng Index, oil

Asia-Pacific markets were set to fall Monday as the Middle East war entered its fifth week.

Yemen’s Houthi movement said Saturday it had fired missiles at Israel, marking its first direct involvement in the U.S.- and Israeli-led war against Iran.

In a post on X, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at what it described as sensitive Israeli military sites, in support of Iran and allied Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

The strike signals a further escalation in a conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets on Feb. 28.

Oil prices were higher in early Asia trading hours. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 2.58% at $102.19 per barrel.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slid 0.94% in early trade.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 was poised to fall, with the futures contract in Chicago at 50,630 and the Osaka contract at 51,250 compared with the index’s previous close of 53,373.07.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 24,630, lower than the benchmark’s last close of 24,951.88.

In the U.S., futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 253 points, or 0.6%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures lost 0.5% each.

Last Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled and fell into correction territory. The 30-stock Dow fell 793.47 points, or 1.73%, to close at 45,166.64. The S&P 500 lost 1.67% and ended the session at a seven-month low of 6,368.85. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.15% and settled at 20,948.36.

The broad market index notched its fifth straight weekly decline, dropping 2.1% in the period. The tech-heavy Nasdaq slid 3.2% week to date, while the blue-chip Dow retreated 0.9% for the week.

— CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Lisa Kailai Han contributed to this report.