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CNN This Morning

Major Houthi Attack On Saudi Airport Kills At Least 12, Including U.S. Citizen; Trump Says Ukraine Should Get A New Leader; Trump Touts Golden Age Of America At Tennessee Rally; Protests Takes Over Parts Of New York After ICE Shooting; Man Injured After Being Struck By ICE Vehicle In Houston; Police Officer Killed, Another Wounded In Philadelphia Shooting; Portugal Suspends Ronaldo, Launches Disciplinary Case; Four Dead As Isaias Leaves Trail Of Destruction Across The South; Simon Strengthens To Category Four Storm As It Nears Mexico; Trump Holds Second Rally In Ruby Red Tennessee. Dem Governors Pritzker, Beshear TN House Candidates; Sanders Stumps For Maine Democratic Senate Nominee Troy Jackson; Rachel Destroys Sea Wall, Floods Beachfront Homes; Pope Leo: Early-Stage Nodule Detected In Lung, Will Undergo Surgery; At Least 12 Killed, 300+ Injured In Attack On Saudi Airport. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired October 11, 2026 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[06:00:27]

RENE MARSH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. Here's what's new. At least 12 people are dead after Iranian backed militants struck an airport in Saudi Arabia's capital. The U.S. is now warning its citizens against traveling there. The latest coming up in a live report.

And back in the U.S., both parties are taking their campaign message directly to voters ahead of the midterms. What we're hearing from President Trump and Democratic candidates trying to unseat longtime Republican incumbents.

Isaias is now a shadow of its former self, but it's still soaking parts of the East Coast. Four people have died so far from the storm, and we've got a look ahead at where its headed next.

And a rare tropical storm watch is up in Southern California as Rachel closes in on the state. We're tracking the threat for major flooding across multiple states this week just ahead on CNN THIS MORNING.

It's Sunday, October 11th. Thanks for joining us this morning. I'm Rene Marsh in for Victor Blackwell.

Well, we have learned that a U.S. citizen is among the victims of a major attack on a Saudi airport that killed 12 people. Yemen's Houthi militants struck Riyadh's international airport with a missile on Saturday. In addition to the 12 deaths, Saudi's civil aviation body says that the attack also injured more than 300 people. This is the third attack on the international airport in a single week by the Iran backed rebel group. Let's go straight to CNN's Jerusalem bureau chief Oren Liebermann. Oren, what are you hearing about this latest attack? A significant escalation in the region here.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: It's not just the third attack on this international airport in a week from the Iran backed Houthis in Yemen. It's the most deadly attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

Here's what we know so far about this attack on King Khalid International Airport. At least 12 people were killed and more than 300 others injured on Saturday when the Houthis launched this attack. Again, this is one of several we have now seen against this particular airport. But the Houthis have launched other attacks as well.

This has forced Saudi Arabia to shut down the airport, and the Houthis have vowed that they would keep these attacks going, as they show a willingness to escalate against civilian infrastructure and a willingness to fight what is, or at least should be, a more capable, better armed opponent.

They have pushed back and taken territory along the crucial Bab el- Mandeb Strait along the Red Sea, one of the world's most critical waterways, as they show a willingness and a commitment to this conflict. And that leads to a key question of where this goes from here.

According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, there was one U.S. citizen killed in this attack. Here is what he said on social media. He said, the United States strongly condemns the recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the terrorist, Houthis, including today's strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that took numerous innocent lives, including an American citizen.

And now it's a question of what the U.S. and what President Donald Trump will do from here. Trump has said he'll soon be speaking with Saudi's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis have been looking for the U.S. to get more involved here. But the U.S. so far and Trump so far have not made that decision.

Remember, it was earlier in the administration that Trump came to a cease fire agreement with the Houthis that allowed U.S. traffic and U.S. marine traffic to go through the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait. And it seems Trump doesn't want to upset that cease fire agreement because of the effect it would have, not only potentially on the global economy, because it is one of the world's most critical waterways, but Trump's war with Iran has already made him deeply unpopular. And to open up another front, just a few weeks before the midterms, risks making him even more unpopular.

So even as the Saudis, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, are looking for more U.S. involvement, it's unclear that the U.S. and Trump will move in that direction.

MARSH: Right. And, of course, he has said that he doesn't really want to take action having to do with Iran war before the midterms. So, we will wait and see what comes after that call. Oren Liebermann live for us this morning from Jerusalem. Thank you.

New developments in Russia's war on Ukraine. In just the last hour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted in part on X, quote, "Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure."

[06:05:11]

President Trump blasts Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Zelenskyy criticized Trump's newly announced diesel deal with Russia. CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak has the very latest turn on what has been a rocky relationship between the two leaders.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump is lashing out at the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after President Trump struck a deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin last week to supply more diesel to the global marketplace.

President Trump trying to do what he can to bring down diesel prices three weeks before the midterm election. But critics of the deal say that, one, Russia isn't able to provide enough diesel to make a meaningful effect on those prices. And two, that lifting sanctions on Russian diesel will just have the effect of giving Putin an economic lifeline as his war in Ukraine drags on.

Now, President Trump, harshly critical of that line of criticism. When I asked him about it on Saturday here at the White House, here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He could have settled it many times, and he chose not to. We said you could do whatever you want to Russia, don't hit the refineries because that's a world problem that's caused. And he wants to make problems for the world. He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers with diesel fuel, because Russia supplies a large portion of the diesel fuel throughout the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Trump also saying that Zelenskyy, quote, "could have settled this war many, many times. And he chooses not to." And saying that Ukraine should pick a new president, which is a remarkable statement. You know, the relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy has really been on a pendulum, you know, starting with that ugly Oval Office scene a month into President Trump's term in 2025. They had seemed to be on better terms over the summer. But now, clearly, the relationship at a low ebb.

President Trump is claiming that Zelenskyy continued to target Russian diesel refineries despite American requests that he stop doing that. The question now, of course, is what happens next? Does President Trump cut off support for Ukraine somehow through a potentially intelligence or arms sales? That is not something the president mentioned on Saturday, but it's something that he has done previously when he was frustrated at Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian foreign minister, responding to President Trump, said that Zelenskyy, quote, "has the support of the Ukrainian people." And that, quote, "statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well."

Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

MARSH: Well, President Trump back on the campaign trail making his second visit to Tennessee in two weeks on Saturday. And it sounded a lot like his first visit. The president touting the golden age of America and urging his supporters to turn out on November 3rd.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And in this election, I'm asking you to do me a favor. Pretend, just pretend that I'm running. Because, you know, when I run, we get 48 percent more votes, 48 percent. And in a way, we are running. So, pretend that I'm running and go out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: Well, the president also predicted a 1920 style depression if Democrats take control of Congress in November. And he once again offered to pay off every adult American to keep that from happening. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If the Republicans win, you will each have $5,000 in your pocket and economic success for our country like we have never seen before. So, vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: Well, President Trump didn't explain who would qualify for the payments, when they would begin, or how the federal government would distribute them. The plan has been widely panned by both Democrats and Republicans. His red state swing continues this week with rallies in Montana and Arizona.

Well, just days after an ICE involved shooting in New York, protesters took to the streets Saturday to demonstrate against immigration enforcement in the city. The crowd was protesting against the ICE agents who shot and wounded a man in his car on Friday, while the man's five-year-old son was also in the vehicle. New York police released body cam footage from the responding officers, and CNN's Mark Morales takes us through the new video surrounding the incident.

MARK MORALES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTER: We're finally seeing what happened in the moments before the shooting and in the chaotic moments afterwards. And now this incident has sparked a lot of protests and demonstrations in the street in the moments after the shooting, all the way up until now. And part of what's got people so upset is not just the fact that it's another ICE involved shooting, but that the man's five-year-old son was sitting in the backseat of the car when the shots rang out.

[06:10:08]

Now, NYPD released body camera footage of responding officers. And there you see Belgal with his hands cuffed behind his back, sitting on the pavement. Officers made the snap decision that they needed to get him immediate medical care. And you see them grab him and throw him in the back of their patrol car, and then race to the nearest hospital. You see, we're actually in the car watching the video, seeing them drive at a high rate of speed, trying to get him to safety.

Now, in the other video, it's sort of an eye in the sky video where you see Belgal parked in his vehicle at a hydrant, and you ever so slightly see the car start to go in reverse before the ICE officers come into frame with their guns drawn. One obviously at the at the driver's side window, while another one is near towards the front of the hood of the vehicle, and you see Belgal try to drive away.

You don't actually see the shooting take place, but the second video really puts the tactics of the ICE officers squarely into play here. Something that's happened in other instances that we've seen around the country. Now, Tom Homan talked about this and had other thoughts about this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: The men and women of ICE perform -- they perform exactly as they were trained. This man tried to run an officer over. He feared for his life. So, he took -- he took action.

And now this person is in custody. He'll be charged with a federal crime of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer. But many of these instances could be could be -- cloud be avoided if they simply give us access to the bad guy in the safety and security of the jail, rather than release them in the community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORALES: Now, there's still the big question about the deportation itself and whether or not that's going to take place. Lawyers for Belgal are arguing that he should be released, but the first question that has to be discussed is, where do they actually make these arguments?

Belgal's attorney filed motions in New York to get him released, but by the time they did that, it turns out he was actually at a facility in New Jersey. So while all that needs to be ironed out, he's sitting at a facility in Brooklyn, New York, waiting for the next steps.

Mark Morales, CNN, New York.

MARSH: And later this morning, Jake Tapper goes one on one with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on "STATE OF THE UNION." It airs at 9:00 a.m. eastern, right here on CNN.

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, sidelined by his own country. Why Portugal has suspended its captain and what it could mean for his international future.

Plus, a foot chase during an ICE operation ends with a man hit and injured by an agent's vehicle. We'll show you that new surveillance video that is now part of the investigation.

And bracing for a direct hit, we'll have the latest on a powerful hurricane taking aim at Mexico with dangerous flooding and mudslides possible. As we go to break, here's a live look at a very soggy Baltimore. Good morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:17:48]

MARSH: New video this morning shows the moment a man officials describe as an undocumented immigrant was struck by a vehicle driven by an ICE officer on Saturday. Officials say he was running from officers at the time. The man they hit, Miguel Parra-Hernandez, was transferred to a hospital and is believed to have a broken leg. He is currently in ICE custody. This comes just days after an ICE involved shooting in New York where agents wounded a driver with a child in the back seat.

In Philadelphia, one police officer was killed and another injured after being shot multiple times when responding to an early morning call on Saturday. Forty-year-old officer Shane Seiber died in the hospital after being shot three times. He was a husband and father of two young children and had served on the force for 10 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN BETHEL, PHILADELPHIA POLICE COMMISSIONER: He fought valiantly, but he lost his life today. I want to say I appreciate all of the calls and all of the support we received. Fortunately, his wife was able to be by his side before he passed, as well as his family. And we're grateful for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: The other officer, Seiber's partner, was shot 12 times and underwent surgery. He is in stable condition, but officials say he is not out of the woods yet. The suspect who shot the officers is in custody.

The Portuguese Football Federation has suspended Cristiano Ronaldo and launched a disciplinary proceeding after the 41-year-old superstar walked out on the team's training camp. Ronaldo left the training camp following a dispute with Portugal's new head coach over his lack of playing time in the nation's league. Ronaldo faces a ban of up to six months, though he has publicly apologized, acknowledging that no player is above the rules.

In weather this morning, what's left of Isaias has pushed into the northeast, but not before leaving a trail of destruction across the south. The storm is blamed for four deaths, two in Florida and two in Alabama. [06:20:03]

Recovery efforts have begun, but hundreds of thousands of people remain without power this morning. In Georgia, one woman woke up to find a tree on her house. The homeowner says she was asleep when she heard a crash. She says she knew it was a tree even before she got up to investigate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got up, I couldn't see out of the window, and I started to panic a little bit. But eventually pulled myself together, call 911.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: Well, the woman who you saw there, she was not hurt. She says despite the mess, she is grateful she was not injured.

And CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar, she's been working overtime. She joins me live this morning. The remnants of Isaias have now moved further north of us here in Washington, right?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. That's right. So again, it may not be the same storm it was two days ago, but it's still not over just yet. You've still got a lot of moisture from this system or this associated with the system that is riding up the East Coast.

Now, the strongest storms and heaviest rain are out over the water, but you've still got some lightning with some of these storms as they make their way through the Carolinas and even especially down into Florida. You've got this line that's kind of developed here just to the west of Tampa, sliding up through Jacksonville.

And again, some pretty good rainfall showers heading up through Columbia into Charlotte. Then up towards the areas of the northeast and the mid-Atlantic, you've also still got some very heavy rain across Virginia, West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania.

The key thing here is that it's going to continue through the afternoon and evening hours, but with the heating of the day, you have the potential for some strong to severe thunderstorms as well, stretching from Maryland back down through Northern South Carolina.

Here's a look at the forecast radar. Again later this afternoon, that's when it really starts to spread into the northeast. Places like New York, Hartford and Boston, where it will continue through the evening.

MARSH: Allison, thank you. And people in Mexico are preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Simon. The storm is currently a category four. Residents in coastal towns have been boarding up and sandbagging their homes as the storm closes in.

The National Hurricane Center says that Simon will make landfall over West Central Mexico later today. They are warning of heavy rain that could bring life threatening flooding and mudslides.

A big name boost in Maine's Senate race. Senator Bernie Sanders was in Bangor to campaign with Democrat Troy Jackson. Their message to vote is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:26:55]

MARSH: Well, President Trump is planning campaign stops in Montana and Arizona this week to help prop up red state Republicans. On Sunday, the president made his second visit to Tennessee in two weeks. He re- upped his offer to pay every adult American $5,000 if Republicans hold the House and Senate in November. And he made this pitch to his supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Another way you can defeat the Democrat communists and vote for more money in your pockets, bigger paychecks for your families, lower taxes, less crime, a roaring Tennessee economy, and no amnesty for illegal aliens then you have to vote Republican.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: Well, I want to bring in Adam Friedman. He's a reporter with the Tennessee Lookout. Adam, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

I mean, the first question that I want to chat with you about is, why Tennessee twice? Why such a laser focus on the red states? Before you answer, here is Trump's explanation. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I said, you know, sometimes it's nice to go to a place where you don't have to be, but you're there to say thank you to the great people that elected you three separate times in record numbers. That's what I'm here for.

I didn't know I was going to be on a Saturday afternoon, you know, to be honest. Well, here we are on a Saturday afternoon and I could be doing something else, but there is no place I'd rather be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: Well, that was sweet of him, but I don't think that's the real reason. So, two trips to Tennessee. What is the reason for the focus there on that ruby red state?

ADAM FRIEDMAN, REPORTER, TENNESSEE LOOKOUT: I think it's simple. Tennessee is sort of the president's firewall. If you look at like the state, we have two or three potentially competitive congressional races, a governor's race that should go to one of his allies, to Senator Blackburn. But if somehow he was to -- the Republican Party was to lose any of those congressional seats, it would mean it was a really bad election night for the president. And so, I simply think he's here just to shore up his base of support.

MARSH: Looking at your state and on the ground there, what are the key races in Tennessee? And are any of them uncomfortably close for Republicans right now?

FRIEDMAN: So, we have a governor's race that should go to the Republican. We do have an independent candidate running. You even saw that in the president's speech a little bit yesterday, where he talked about voting for the GOP. There's an independent who is sort of a conservative that has the potential to play a spoiler. I would say like potential with a huge caveat. It's not really clear that he's pulling high enough to really affect the race, but you have seen a Republican governor nominee, Senator Marsha Blackburn, at least run ads against him because she is slightly concerned.

And then it's really like two or three congressional races that the president, at least in 2024, won by about 20 percentage points or more. But, you know, in an electoral environment that is supposed to be really good for Democrats, if those seats are in play, then that means it's going to be a really long night come November 3rd.

[06:30:05]

RENE MARSH, CNN ANCHOR: And it's not just, you know, the President. I mean, we have Democrats also eyeing this state, two Democratic governors who happen to be eyeing the White House in 2028, J.B. Pritzker and Andy Beshear. They have been working that state to boost up Democrats vying for House seats there.

Can you tell us more about that? And really, is that even a realistic strategy? Democrats taking a seat potentially in in Tennessee?

FRIEDMAN: So the state redrew its House map in May was part of that sort of push by Republicans to redraw as many seats as possible to try to basically flip a seat in Memphis. So it's called the District 9 seat. It was basically built around the entire city of Memphis, hugely Democratic seat for the past at least two decades. It now is a Republican favored seat.

That is probably the seat that has the best chance of flipping, per se. I mean, it is currently held by Democrats, but the Republicans are favored. But and that's the seat that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is at least investing money in from his ready for the fight pack.

It really hasn't been any good polling to show that that race is like super competitive. It's been a lot of internal polling from the candidates, which are you got to take with a grain of salt. But I think Democrats are sort of hoping if they can put that seat in play, that would sort of be an indication of a strong night.

And I think if the governor of Illinois is kind of hoping maybe to build some -- some bench support. Right. You know, you see this as candidates pivot to 2028. They're trying to see if they can boost to kind of basically create allies heading forward.

MARSH: All right. Adam Friedman watching it all for us there in Ruby Red, Tennessee. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

And Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders held a rally in Maine yesterday. He was there campaigning for Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson.

Jackson is trying to unseat longtime incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in the upcoming midterm elections.

CNN's Arlette Saenz was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator Bernie Sanders held his first of three rallies here in Maine as he's trying to push the Democratic candidate Troy Jackson across the finish line.

Sanders was here in Maine for the first time since Democrats changed their candidate mid campaign after the controversies facing Graham Platner, the original Democratic nominee had pushed him out of this race. Now, Sanders was a strong supporter of Platner, but he had also endorsed Jackson when he was running for governor. And on the trail here in Bangor, Sanders tried to argue that Jackson is needed in the Senate to try to provide a check on President Trump.

Take a listen.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): There are people in Maine like Susan Collins. That's fine. There are many people in Maine who may have a disagreement with Troy on this or that issue. That's fine. But if you want to hold Donald Trump and his disastrous policies accountable, the only way we do that is by electing a Democratic Senate. And this election here in Maine could mean all of the difference.

SAENZ: Sanders two-day campaign swing through Maine comes as the contest between Democrat Troy Jackson and Republican Senator Susan Collins is incredibly close. The most recent polling here in the state showed that there was no clear leader in this contest, but polling has repeatedly shown that this contest really hinges on disapproval of President Trump and Senator Collins.

Collins has tried to strike an independent brand, but you have repeatedly heard from Jackson and Democrats trying to further link her to the President. There is some recent polling that shows 58 percent of voters believe that Collins has supported President Trump's policies too often.

So that is one of the arguments the Democrats have really tried to make against her in this campaign. Sanders was here on the trail trying to energize Democratic voters. But, of course, this is a campaign that also will need to attract moderate independence. There's questions about whether Sanders will be able to help Jackson with these types of appearances in doing that.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, Bangor, Maine.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MARSH: A rare tropical storm watches in effect for parts of California as post-tropical storm Rachel approaches. The storm is bringing high surf to parts of the California coast.

Take a look at this video out of Long Beach. You can see the waves just crashing over that seawall. They're flooding beachfront homes. Wow. OK, the mandatory evacuation has been issued for homes along the beach until at least Tuesday.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is back with me now.

[06:35:00]

Allison, this is a rare storm for the West, which, by the way, has been dealing with a heat wave as well.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So, yes, the one thing to note is even though it's no longer a tropical storm, we just kind of have the remnants of it, it's still producing quite a bit of moisture, and some of that moisture is being pulled up into a trough. You're actually getting moisture from this all the way into places as far north as Montana.

Now, the heavier rain is certainly down to the south. That's where we've even had some flash flood warnings in effect across portions of Southern California. There is still the potential for flooding not only in Southern California but a lot of the southwest in general where a lot of that moisture, especially the heavy moisture, is really starting to funnel into these places.

But as I mentioned, you've got an upper trough. It's kind of pulling in some of that tropical moisture. So that is actually enhancing a lot of the rain and even, yes, snow that you see across states like Idaho, Wyoming, and even into Montana.

Now, overall, the greatest flood threat as we go forward through the remainder of the day on Sunday is going to be in this green area stretching here. Again, still, it's a very widespread area. We're not just talking just Southern California because, again, as that storm spreads in, it's pushing all of that moisture off to the north.

Now, the imminent threat for flooding is certainly going to remain in Southern California because that is where the heaviest rain showers are located.

Here's a look, again, as we go through the rest of the morning hours. Most of the moisture is really kind of focused across Nevada, Arizona, and even into Southern California. But more of that spreads farther north as we head into the afternoon.

MARSH: Allison, thank you for that.

And coming up, should an execution by firing squad be broadcast live? President Trump is changing his stance on Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan's execution.

What he said is coming up.

And if you're heading out, remember, you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S., right from the CNN app. You can also go to CNN.com/Watch.

And here is a live look at downtown Philadelphia. Good morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:40]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

MARSH: Well, we are following breaking news out of the Vatican. Pope Leo announced just a short time ago that doctors detected a very early-stage nodule in his lung.

CNN's Christopher Lamb joins me now on the phone.

Chris, what more can you tell us? I know this is just news unfolding now.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. I mean, the Pope made this announcement at the end of the Angelus prayer on Sunday, telling the crowd in St. Peter's Square that during some checkups, the doctors had discovered what he said was a localized nodule on his lung. And that surgery is going to take place in the coming days.

The Vatican spokesman has clarified that this is going to take place early next week and that the post-operation stay in hospital will last approximately one week.

Now, Pope Leo is 71 years old, which is relatively young for a pope. He's someone who likes sports, keeps active, is generally seen as being very healthy and in good shape for someone of his age. Obviously, this news coming is a bit of a surprise. We don't know any more than that it is this nodule on his lung.

And he has got an action-packed schedule as pope. You know, he meets with people regularly. He has one day off a week, you know, to keep him kind of able to rest. But he has got a big trip being planned in early November to Latin America, a trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. Peru, of course, a country that he spent a number of years as a missionary and as a bishop.

So that visit is highly anticipated. And I imagine that he will hope that he will be ready to do that trip. But obviously, this news coming as a surprise today and announced by the pope himself during the prayers at midday on Sunday.

MARSH: Yes. And I mean, again, understanding this is all we're still getting in details, but we know that this surgery is scheduled, you said in the coming days. Any more insights on just what that will mean? You mentioned his packed schedule, this upcoming trip. Will he need some downtime? Might some of his trips have to be canceled? Do we know just how long after the surgery may he need to just be, you know, out of the mix for a bit?

LAMB: Yes, I mean, the so far, the Vatican is saying that he will need a week in hospital following the operation. I imagine that given the commitments he has, he'll want to be provided all things go well, won't be back working and returning to his duties. You know, on the 1st November, there's a big basketball match taking place in Rome between Notre Dame and Villanova, which thousands are coming in to see. And the pope is due to meet some of the players and the supporters.

[06:45:04]

Of course, Villanova University is his old university. So he has got some big events coming up. Right now, the Vatican's in the middle of a meeting with the bishops from around the world who have been gathering in the Vatican with the Pope to discuss the Church's family life teaching and how the Church can help married couples and families, so that's been going on as well.

As I say, the Pope, you know, he works very hard six days of the week and then he has this Tuesday where he has a day off and goes to the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo, so perhaps he will want to spend a bit of time there after he leaves hospital. I imagine he's going to want to take things slowly. He is someone who looks after his health and, you know, as I mentioned earlier, he is seen as a figure in the Church who looks after his well-being and he's active.

He actually had a personal trainer before he was Pope. He went to the gym, and he, you know, he follows sports, he loves baseball, he's due to meet this group who are playing, sorry, the Villanova and Notre Dame team playing basketball at the weekend on the 1st of November.

So I think he will probably want to make sure that he's fully recovered so that he can, you know, fulfill the important engagements that are coming up and, of course, the big one is this trip to Latin America.

MARSH: Right. Well, Christopher Lamb, thank you so much for bringing us that breaking news. I know you will stay on top of that and bring us more details as we get them.

We'll be right back after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:51:18]

MARSH: At least 12 people were killed and hundreds more injured in a Houthi attack on an international airport in Saudi Arabia's capital. The strike by the Iran-backed militants is the deadliest attack against the U.S. ally in more than a decade.

President Trump responded to the strike.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: Well, they're able to defend. Look, the Saudis are good fighters, but I think the attack was a terrible thing.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

MARSH: Well, I want to bring in CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas for more.

Alex, we just heard from the President, Trump, on that deadly attack in Saudi Arabia. Tell me, what are the vulnerabilities in the kingdom's defense capabilities?

ALEX PLITSAS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So the kingdom does have a fair amount of air defenses around it, and it's been used to protect itself against Iranian strikes in the previous months. We also saw reports from our own network here that about a month ago, it looks like additional air defenses were moved into both Saudi Arabia and Qatar, likely in preparation for any future strikes because Iran had threatened to retaliate against regional gas and oil infrastructure.

That being said, it looks like if that's where that went, that with all these extra Patriot batteries went to oil and gas, that would explain why it wouldn't be near the airport.

So it clearly got through the kingdom's air defenses because there was no announcements from what earlier reporting said, and as a result of that, with no intercept and no warning, 300 wounded, 12 dead, eight of those foreign nationals, including one alleged American citizen.

MARSH: And you just have to wonder, you know, we know Saudi Arabia wants it, but will Washington join Saudi strikes on the Houthis? And if so, what might that response look like?

PLITSAS: That is the question at the moment. You know, for the last year or so, the United States and the Houthis have maintained a ceasefire that they entered into after the U.S. bombed Yemen pretty heavily and really gone after Houthi targets. And as a result of that, you know, the President had kind of worked out with the Gulf partners sort of a strategy, as you can kind of read between the lines.

The U.S. basically was dealing directly and offensively with the Iranians, but all of the regional proxies were being dealt with by Gulf powers, or regional powers, that is. So you have the Iraqis disarming the Iraqi militias, you had, you know, the Houthis dealing with Yemen, and then you have the Israeli and Lebanese governments dealing with Hezbollah.

So Saudi Arabia was supposed to be the lead for the naval task force dealing with the Bab al-Mandeb, and they've been the lead supporting the legitimate Yemeni-recognized government that's been providing the ground forces against the Houthis.

So I think the President still wants the Saudis to continue to maintain the lead on that, because so far, they haven't moved to close off the Bab al-Mandeb straight, they haven't attacked U.S. or international shipping, and I think there's a risk that if the U.S. gets involved, that's what happens. But yesterday's attack may have been a serious escalation, and I think the U.S. at least is deliberating at this point.

MARSH: Well, let's turn to Russia and Ukraine. I mean, we have seen the war of words between the President and Zelensky, but tell us, why is this diesel deal the latest challenge for these two individual leaders?

PLITSAS: So the Ukrainians have pursued an asymmetric strategy to fight back against the, you know, the Russians. You've got a population of about 30 million people in Ukraine and 140 million in Russia, somewhere along, give or take.

So it's a much bigger country, it's had a bigger economy, but Ukraine has overcome that, their economy's grown, they've figured out the unmanned systems market, they've built millions of them a year now, literally 10 times what the U.S. is building annually.

But it still wasn't enough, so the front lines are frozen, but to get the Russians to try to capitulate, they've been putting pressure on Ukrainian oil and gas through long-range strikes, through their missiles and drones. So that's the entire strategy, is to try to force the war to an end by bleeding the Russians dry in that area.

[06:55:06]

And at the time that's happening, the President lifted sanctions on Russian diesel fuel to be able to sell that in the international markets through April of next year. And so, it's seen from the Ukrainian side as undermining their effort to get the war to come to an end, and actually occurred at the same time.

The announcement for this, the Russian sanction lifting, occurred at the same time the Ukrainian delegation was meeting with Envoy Witkoff at his compound down in Florida.

MARSH: Yes. So, I guess, we know that Zelensky will be speaking this week. He's going to be speaking on Monday at the Warsaw Security Forum. What do you think that we will hear from him? What can we expect? Because as you point out, he's in an almost an impossible situation, you know, going after Russia's energy infrastructure has been effective for them. However, they still would like to have the support of the United States, and the President is telling him to stop.

What do you think will be his message when he gives this keynote speech this week?

PLITSAS: So, I think he'll sort of remain defiant in the sense that they'll want to maintain Ukraine's independence. You know, what we're talking about here, because the President made comments, as you alluded to before yesterday, that there, you know, there could have been a deal if Zelensky just sort of accepted one. What's been on the table so far is the Russians want the rest of the provinces in the east and the Donbas that they haven't earned on the battlefield. They want the Ukrainians to give that up, and then at that point, you know, they're willing to negotiate. But the Ukrainians don't want to give up territory the Russians haven't won. And the reason that they don't as well is there's a piece of territory up there in the Donbas where they've been fighting basically since 2014.

And if Putin gets his hands on that, which is what he wants, it's the Three Rings area, Three Ring Road. It'll let them make a run on Kiev in the future, which basically sets up another war. So, it doesn't make sense to him. So, I think he'll remain defiant.

And the last comment today that I saw was that they will offer to stop the attacks on Russian oil and gas if the Russians stop attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

MARSH: Yes. Alex Plitsas, thank you so much for breaking it all down.

And a new hour of "CNN This Morning" is coming up right after this break.

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