DUBAI – Al-Qaida’s Yemen branch leader has issued threats to U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, citing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. This marks his first video statement since assuming leadership of the group last year.
The 30-minute video by Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, circulated by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula followers on Saturday, urged lone-wolf attackers to target leaders in Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf Arab states due to the war’s impact on Gaza.
Al-Awlaki’s video presentation displayed photos of Trump, Musk, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and Secretaries of State Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth. It also featured logos from Musk’s enterprises, including Tesla.
“There are no red lines after what happened and is happening to our people in Gaza,” al-Awlaki said. “Reciprocity is legitimate.”
Yemen’s al-Qaida branch long thought to be most dangerous
Though believed to be weakened in recent years due to infighting and suspected U.S. drone strikes killing its leaders, the group known by the acronym AQAP had been considered the most dangerous branch of al-Qaida still operating after the 2011 killing by U.S. Navy SEALs of founder Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
In 2022, a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan killed bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawahri, who also helped plot 9/11. The Sept. 11 attacks then began decades of war by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq, and fomented the rise of the Islamic State group.
Al-Awlaki already has a $6 million U.S. bounty on his head, as Washington says al-Awlaki “has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies.” He replaced AQAP leader Khalid al-Batarfi, whose death was announced by the group in 2024.
Israel-Hamas war a focus of the Houthis as well
AQAP seizing onto the Israel-Hamas war follows the efforts of Yemen’s Houthi rebels to do the same. The Iranian-backed group has launched missile attacks on Israel and targeted commercial vessels moving through the Red Sea corridor, as well as American warships. The U.S. Navy has described their campaign against the Houthis as the most intense combat it has faced since World War II.
The Trump administration also launched its own intense campaign of strikes on the Houthis, which only ended before the president’s recent trip to the Middle East.
The Houthis’ international profile rose as the group remains mired in Yemen’s long-stalemated war. Al-Awlaki may be betting on the same for his group, which U.N. experts have estimated has between 3,000 and 4,000 active fighters and passive members. The group raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops, as well as smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies and ransom operations, according to the U.N.
The Shiite Zaydi Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, a Sunni extremist group. However, AQAP targeting of the Houthis has dropped in recent years, while the militants keep attacking Saudi-led coalition forces who have battled the Houthis.
“As the Houthis gain popularity as leaders of the ‘Arab and Muslim world’s resistance’ against Israel, al-Awlaki seeks to challenge their dominance by presenting himself as equally concerned about the situation in Gaza,” said Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert of the Basha Report risk advisory firm.
“For a national security and foreign policy community increasingly disengaged from Yemen, this video is a clear reminder: Yemen still matters.”
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