The leader of al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch has threatened both US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk over the Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip in his first video message since taking over the group last year.
The half-hour video message by Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, which spread online early on Saturday via supporters of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also included calls for lone-wolf militants to assassinate leaders in Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states over the war, which has decimated Gaza.
The video of al-Awlaki’s speech showed images of Trump and Musk, as well as US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of State Pete Hegseth. It also included images of logos of Musk’s businesses, including the electric carmaker 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-Qaeda branch long thought to be most dangerous
Though believed to be weakened in recent years due to infighting and suspected US drone strikes killing its leaders, the group known by the acronym AQAP had been considered the most dangerous branch of al-Qaeda still operating after the 2011 killing by US Navy SEALs of founder Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the 11 September, 2001, attacks.
In 2022, a US drone strike in Afghanistan killed bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawahri, who also helped plot 9/11. The 11 September attacks then began decades of war by the US in Afghanistan and Iraq, and fomented the rise of the Islamic State group.
Al-Awlaki already has a $6 million US 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 Israel’s war in Gaza 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 US 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 UN 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 UN.
The Shia 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.”
