Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri mocked US President Barack Obama for his "deep concern" for Gaza and urged Muslims to rise up against enemy aggression, in an audiotape released on jihadist forums Tuesday.
A speech entitled "Sacrifices of Gaza and Plots" was contained in a video produced by As-Sahab, Al-Qaeda's media arm, and made available by SITE Intelligence Group.
Against the backdrop of a still image of Zawahiri, Arab leaders and dead Palestinian children, Zawahiri stressed that the "Crusader-Zionist" campaign of Western and Arab states and Israel will not be broken or deterred unless it suffers human and material losses.
He called for Muslims to overthrow Arab regimes and said demonstrations, which he had previously recommended, were "insufficient" to face the tanks and planes of the enemy.
Regarding Obama and his concern for loss of Palestinian civilian lives in Gaza, Zawahiri sardonically thanked the US leader.
"We received your deep concern accompanied with thousands of rockets and bullets, and tons of white phosphorus, mixed with the blood, body parts and tears of the Muslims in Gaza.
"But the deep concern of Obama did not hold for long, for during his inauguration speech, he did not mention one word about what happened in Gaza, as if nothing happened."
{{/usCountry}}"But the deep concern of Obama did not hold for long, for during his inauguration speech, he did not mention one word about what happened in Gaza, as if nothing happened."
{{/usCountry}}