Al Qaeda's number two terrorist, Ayman al-Zawahri, threatened that "the Jihad influence [will] spread after the Americans' exit from Iraq, and [will] move towards Jerusalem." His warning, during an Internet audio response to questions that had been submitted to him, also called for attacks on Jews in Israel and throughout the world.

He claimed that the terrorist organization does not kill innocent people but that its opponents are guilty of "intentionally [taking] up positions in the midst of the Muslims for them to be human shields." Al-Zawarhi also said that both Saudi Arabian and Egyptian regimes will fall because of corruption and cooperation with the United States.