08:46 AM EDT, 04/19/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were little changed ahead of Friday's opening bell as traders turned risk-averse on rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following reports that Israel carried out airstrikes against Iran.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 0.1%, S&P 500 futures flatlined, and Nasdaq futures were down 0.2%.

US officials have confirmed the attacks, while Tehran signaled no plan for retaliation, according to media reports.

Oil prices were lower, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude down 0.8% and US West Texas Intermediate crude down 0.7%.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 2.7% lower, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 1% lower, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.3% lower. Meanwhile, UK's FTSE 100 fell 0.5%, and Germany's DAX index declined 0.5% in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, shares of Paramount Global ( PARAA ) were 7% higher pre-bell following media reports that Apollo Global Management ( APO ) and Sony ( SONY ) are discussing a joint bid for the company.

On the losing side, Netflix ( NFLX ) shares dropped nearly 7% after the company issued Q2 revenue guidance that trailed analysts' projections.