31/08/2012 14:25
Al-Qaeda threatens Shiites in Lebanon
The recent warning by the Abdallah Azzam Brigades against Shiites in Lebanon amounts to a serious threat of violence that could spark off a resurgence of sectarian conflict in Lebanon.
The statement, which appeared as an audio message on a jihadist website on Aug. 17 and was recently picked up by the media, warned Shiites in Lebanon that “the positions of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement vis-à-vis the Syrian revolution do not serve the sect’s best interest ... If you maintain your arrogant attitude, you will be punished, and you will pay. You only have yourselves to blame.”
The message said Shiites in Lebanon would bear the consequences if they insist on linking themselves to the Syrian President Bashar Assad.
“If you stay with him, you shall go with him,” it said.
The statement was attributed to the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an alleged Al-Qaeda branch that is active in Lebanon and Syria. It has claimed rocket attacks from Lebanon into Israel in the past.