Al-Qaeda to All Muslims: Overthrow Assad

Ayman al-Zawahiri has issued a video commemorating the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, in which he renews his call for all Muslims to support the revolution in Syria, and accuses the US of propping up Bashar al-Assad's regime. "Supporting jihad in Syria to establish a Muslim state is a basic step towards Jerusalem, and thus America is giving the secular Baathist regime one chance after another for fear that a government is established in Syria that would threaten Israel," he said, according to Reuters.

He said al-Qaeda needed to re-focus on "liberating Palestine," and urged all the region's governments to break their peace treaties with Israel. He singled out Egypt in particular. "I appeal to the honorable members of the Egyptian army, and there are many of them, not to be guards for the borders of Israel." He also bashed Pakistan for having a "government for sale and an army for rent." (More Ayman al-Zawahri stories.)