Asia markets in red as Middle East tensions mount after Iran attack on Israel

Investors watched for developments in the Middle East following Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel over the weekend that markets fear could prompt a response from the Israel government. Iran launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on military targets in Israel over the weekend, but Israel shot down nearly all the incoming munitions and the US said it wants to avoid a wider war. Japan (NKY:IND) -0.90%. Japanese machinery orders beat expectations for February, a good sign for capex ahead. China (SHCOMP) +1.22%. People's Bank of China kept its one-year medium-term lending facility rate at 2.5% during its April fixing,…