On Monday, a Saudi general and two border guards died in a shootout along the Iraqi–
Saudi Arabian border with fighters thought to be members of the Islamic State of Iraq
and al-Sham (ISIS). The attack—the first against Saudi Arabia since it joined the
U.S.-led coalition against ISIS—came amid uncertainty both at home and abroad, over
questions surrounding the health of 90-year old King Abdullah, who is in the hospital
battling pneumonia, and over the global price of oil.