Cairo: Al-Qaeda's No 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri criticized President Barack Obama on Tuesday for not mentioning Gaza in his inauguration speech, and urged Muslims around the world to target US interests to avenge America's backing of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
In a new audio recording posted on the Internet, Ayman al-Zawahiri also called on Muslims to continue fighting in the coastal region, where a two-week truce since Israel's 22-day assault remains fragile.
"The path to fighting the occupation is open to all Muslims," al-Zawahiri said in the recording accompanied by video and still images from the offensive.
"Bring weapons into Gaza. Punish everyone who stands against Gaza and the rest of the Muslim world."
The recording was the second al-Zawahiri has posted this year about the recent Israeli offensive in Gaza. The terror network's chief Osama bin Laden also issued an audio message on the militant Hamas-run area in January, urging Muslims to launch a jihad against Israel.
Al-Qaeda holds little influence among Palestinians but the network's Gaza-related postings are likely meant to harness Muslim anger about the Israeli offensive and direct it at the new US administration.
Al-Zawahiri smirked at Obama, saying that while the new president later voiced concerns about the killings of civilians, "in his inauguration speech, he gave no mention to what happened in Gaza."
"As for Obama, he has expressed his worries over the killing of civilians in Gaza. Worried? We really appreciate your worries Mr Obama," al-Zawahiri said. "We have learned about your worries, as well as about thousands of the missiles and white phosphorus" — a reference to charges that Israeli forces used phosphorous shells in a way that burned civilians in Gaza.
The authenticity of the 17-minute recording could not be independently confirmed but it was posted on an Islamist militant Web site known as a clearing house for al-Qaeda messages.
The recording opened with video scenes of Gaza, showing buildings exploding and wounded crowding into hospitals. Then it settled into a montage of still photographs showing the white-turbaned al-Zawahiri, dead Palestinian children, and photographs of Egyptian and Saudi leaders, as well as one with French President Nicolas Sarkozy standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Al-Zawahri, who is Egyptian, also lashed out at Arab rulers; Egypt was singled out for refusing to open its border with Gaza and preventing humanitarian access to the strip.
"Anybody who imposes a siege on Gaza is an enemy," he said.
He urged Muslims to not just protest, but to attack US and Israeli targets.
"The Israeli and American interests are spread everywhere," he said. "If it (attack) doesn't work in one place, it's possible in other places. And if the enemy fortified some of its interests, many others remain without cover and under threat."
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