Al-Qaeda threatens U.S. forces in the region: a new face of the terrorist organization

In a striking statement, Al-Qaeda threatened to target U.S. forces in the region and to repeat the attack that struck the American destroyer USS Cole in Yemen.

The statement was described by Monir Adib, an expert on extremist movements and international terrorism, as “an attempt by the organization to return to the scene with a new face.”

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Adib confirmed the authenticity of the statement attributed to Al-Qaeda, which was published on media platforms affiliated with the terrorist organization and on its Telegram accounts. He noted that the message revived memories of the attack on the USS Cole on October 12, 2000, in the port of Aden, which resulted in the deaths of 17 crew members and injuries to 39 others.

Adib said: “This is the most significant statement issued by the organization since the killing of its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in July 2022 in Afghanistan.”

He added that “this statement carries several implications. The organization is reintroducing itself after al-Zawahiri’s death, especially given that it has neither officially mourned him nor announced the appointment of a successor to date.”

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Adib continued: “A statement of such importance from Al-Qaeda suggests that the organization is asserting that al-Zawahiri’s death has not affected its structure or its strategic objectives,” noting that any organization, following the death of its leader, “usually seeks to reassert itself through a major operation and a significant statement of this kind.”

He considered that “this particular statement represents a new face of Al-Qaeda. The organization appears to be positioning itself as a defender of Iran, as U.S. destroyers have been deployed to the region with the aim of striking or threatening Tehran. Al-Qaeda’s involvement in this context sends a message that it seeks to defend Iran and align itself with it, which reveals a new dimension of the terrorist organization.”

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In this regard, Adib pointed to verbal exchanges between leaders of Al-Qaeda and ISIS, during which the latter accused the former of acting in Iran’s interests.

In its statement, Al-Qaeda said that the United States had “sent its aircraft carriers, which can be sunk,” as happened in Yemen with the bombing of the USS Cole and the killing of American sailors.

The statement comes amid heightened regional tensions between the United States and Iran, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening a military strike against Tehran, Iran vowing to retaliate, and Washington carrying out an unprecedented military buildup in the region.

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