After years of relative silenceand in a context of growing conflict over several fronts In the Middle East, ISIS reminds the world that it is still here and that its mission remains the same: to kill Jews and other so-called apostates wherever and whenever they can.
Thursday, just before claiming responsibility for the double suicide bombing in Iran which left at least 80 dead, Islamic State Spokesman Abu Huzaifa Al-Ansari has issued a new call for attacks against Jews, Christians and allies of the United States and Europe – including Arab states – in the wake of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
ISIS is an armed extremist group that committed horrific killings and human rights abuses while controlling large swaths of Syria, Iraq and Libya.
ISIS fighters had already claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in Egypt, France, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom and Indonesia, among other countries, before a military campaign launched by the United States – and with their partners in the Arab world – fails to dismantle the group and repel its attacks. the remaining members in hiding.
Now, what’s left of the organization is making itself known.
In a 33 minute recording put online On Thursday, al-Ansari denounced the war in Gaza, criticized Iran-backed militias and called for attacks in the name of God and religion.
“The fight against the Jews is a religious war, not a social or national battle,” al-Ansari insisted, referring to Israeli military operations in Gaza.
“This is not a (fight) centered on land or borders.”
Al-Ansari said the war in Gaza exposed the complicity of Western allies, including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and some Gulf countries, in the “war of the Jews against the Muslims.”
He added that attacking the governments of these countries is “just as important as fighting the Jews.”
“The battle against the Jews today is actually more a war waged against their allies than against them,” he added.
The ISIS spokesperson urged Islamist extremists to use multiple methods of killing to target Christians, the Jewish community and Arabs in the region. He also called for targeting churches.
“Break into their houses and kill them using different methods, including gunshots, bombs, grenades and knives,” he said. “Don’t differentiate between a civilian and a soldier, because they should both be targeted. »
Al-Ansari said the war in Gaza will not end with the establishment of a single state or a two-state solution, saying the motivations behind the war should not revolve around the creation of a State and international borders, but rather that “the battle should be centered on holiness”. and the sanctity of the holy land.
Although he did not mention Hamas by name, he criticized the militant group, saying their fight against Israel is not on the right track and that it is time to correct that path by “fighting the Jews » in the name of God and not in the name of God. name of a state.
“Liberating the land does not mean freeing it from secular rule and calling for democratic rule,” al-Ansari said.
“This does not mean freeing it from Israeli control in order to establish independent Palestinian governance… countries that are not governed by Islam are not free even if they are truly free from their occupiers. »
Al-Ansari added that the war in Gaza helped reveal Iran’s plans in the region and asserted that the Iranian government wants to expand its influence in the Middle East through its proxies on the ground in Gaza, Lebanon and in Iraq.
“Even as Jews dream of a river-to-sea state, al-Rafida (an old term used for Shiite Muslims) dreams of extending its influence beyond these areas. They are eyeing the Arab Peninsula and the Gulf States,” he said.
His criticism of Iran comes a day after two bombings near a memorial service for Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike exactly four years ago previously.
Wednesday’s attacks were the deadliest attacks Iran has seen since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
