Mideast leaders call for calm as fears mount of a renewed war in the region, and other Mideast news

Regional leaders called for calm Saturday as fears of a new escalation between the U.S., Israel and Iran grow. Speaking at a security forum in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs said the message from the region is that it wants a return to peace. Also at the forum, Syria's foreign minister said his country and Jordan would discuss ways to strengthen their shared border. Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday.

Read our full coverage here. Regional leaders call for calm amid fears of a new escalation between the US, Israel and Iran On Saturday, Saudi Arabia's vice minister of foreign affairs said the message from the region is that it wants a return to peace. Speaking at a security forum in Bahrain, Waleed ElKhereiji told the audience that efforts were being made to prevent a military escalation and reach an agreement that ends the crisis with Iran.

“If you look at … the efforts that everybody is trying to do, the message is very clear. People in this part of the world want to bring peace back to the region," he said. But he said no one can predict the outcome of the efforts. Concerns are rising about a return to an all-out Iran war. Speaking at the same event, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said an escalation in the region would be extremely destructive. “We are very confident that … the second round will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere,” he said.

Syria says border security with Jordan is a shared responsibility Syria's Foreign Minister said Saturday that border security is a shared responsibility between his country and Jordan and that a high-level meeting is expected next month to discuss arrangements. Speaking Saturday at the security forum in Bahrain, Assad al-Shibani said there are no “skirmishes” between the countries. The announcement came after Jordanian strikes in Syria raised tensions between the neighbors.

Jordan said the strikes over Syria last week killed 20 militants from the extremist Islamic State group, but acknowledged that civilians had also been killed in the attacks. Syrian authorities reported seven people killed in the strikes, most of them women and children. Separately, al-Shibani said Syria is in discussions to evaluate joining the Mecca Pact, the Saudi-led defense alliance that includes Turkey and Pakistan. “Whether Syria joins or not, Syria thinks the region is in dire need of a structure that protects its security,” he said. ___ This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.