In an eight-minute video address titled "Onward, Oh Lions of Al-Sham," Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri urges the Syrian people to continue their revolution until the downfall of the Assad regime, and stresses that toppling this regime is a necessary step on the way to liberating Jerusalem. The following are the main points of the video, which was produced by Al-Qaeda's media company Al-Sahab and posted February 11, 2012 on the jihadi website Al-Fida.
In the video, Al-Zawahiri states that despite the Assad regime's ongoing crimes against them, the Syrian people have shown resilience and have only grown stronger. Their revolt will only end after victory is achieved, and then a regime that protects Islam and the Muslims will be established, he says.
