A saudi king dies and a deadline passes. Chaos and confusion in the middle east. Yemens president resigns and a power vacuum takes hold. So the question now is what happens next . Who does the u. S. Deal with. America cutting Embassy Staff. I think we ought to get our people out. I dont want to see a hostage situation. And saudis King Abdullah dies. The succession is going to be very important. A key ally. The 90yearold leader laid to rest. He was probably the most progressive and liberal minded king of saudi arabia since the early 1970s. This morning new concerns about the stability of the volatile region. And fate unknown. Two japanese men held by isis. Kenji is not an enemy of islamic states. Pleas from a mom this morning as a deadline passes. There are serious fears here in tokyo that perhaps isis never really intended to negotiate. A tense and delicate situation playing out on the world stage. Lets talk. Live in the cnn newsroom. And good morning. Im carol costello. Thank you so m
King of saudi arabia since the early 1970s. This morning new concerns about the stability of the volatile region. Fate unknown. Two japanese men held by isis. Kenji is not an enemy of islamic state. Pleas from a mother as a deadline passes. There are serious fears here in tokyo that perhaps isis never really intended to negotiate. A tense and delicate situation playing out on the world stage. Lets talk live in the cnn newsroom. Good morning. Im carol costello. Thank you so much for joining me this morning. A new era for americas top ally in the arab world. Thousands are gathering in the saudi arabias capital for the funeral of king abdullah. He died after leading the nation for 19 years. His death brings uncertainty to a troubled region. So the south of saudi arabia yemen is in chaos. Its government a critical ally to washington has crumbled. The u. S. State department is scrambling to evacuate Embassy Staff as others keep a wary eye on the crisis unfolding around them. More in a minut
No word whether they are dead or alive. The mother of one of these men has a direct message for isis publically pleading for her sons life. Translator to all members of isis kenji is not an enemy of isis. I think he is a man able to help you as your friend once you get to know him. Over the past three days simply i cant understand what was happening around me. When i consider again how my son has caused inconvenience and troubles for so many people i will take this opportunity to apologize again from the bottom of my heart. Joining me now cnn political commentator and david rode held captive for seven months after being captured by the taliban. Welcome to you. Beginning with you in your own experience you got away. No ransom was paid. Why do you think we dont still know the situation with these two japanese hostages. Do you think its possible isis is giving them more time . If they are, its probably not much more. Its a bleak situation. There was a tweet from one isis follower early th