Beirut: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri appears in a new video that marks the 20th anniversary of September 11, attacks, months after rumors spread that he was dead.
The site intelligence group that monitors the Jihadist website said the video was released on Saturday.
In it, Al-Zawahri said that “Jerusalem would never be convinced,” and praised Al-Qaeda’s attacks including those targeting Russian forces in Syria in January.
The site said Al-Zawahri also recorded US military withdrawals from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.
It added that his comments did not always show recent recording, because the Taliban withdrawal agreement was signed in February 2020.
Al-Zawahri did not mention the takeover of the Taliban Afghanistan and the capital Kabul last month, the site added.
But he mentioned January 1, attacking Russian forces targeting the city of Raqqa in North Syria.
Rumors have spread since the end of 2020 that Al-Zawahri has died of illness.
Since then, there is no video or evidence of life that appears, until Saturday.
“He can still die, even if so, it will be at some point or after Jan 2021,” Tweeted Rita Katz, site director.
Al-Zawahri’s speech was recorded in a 37-minute video, 37 seconds produced by the As-Sahab Group Media Foundation.
In recent years, Al-Qaida faced competition among jihad from its rival, a group of Islamic countries.
Rises to stand out by seizing Iraq and Syria’s big plots in 2014, stating “Caliphate” and expanding affiliates to various countries throughout the region.
The physical “Khalifhate” was destroyed in Iraq and Syria, although guerrillas were still active and carried out attacks.
Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi, a shadow leader was killed by US special forces in an attack in northwest Syria in October 2019.
Al-Zawahri, an Egyptian, became the leader of Al-Qaeda after the murder of 2011 Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan by US Navy Seals .