ISIL Leader Speaks Out: Baghdadi Threatens Israel and Calls for Rebellion in Saudi Arabia

The leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, called for rebellion in Saudi Arabia and promised attacks on Israel in an audio message released on Saturday, reports the Patria News Agency.

This is his first message in seven months, and it was published on the social networks Twitter and Telegram, according to the American SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist networks. The message was released at a time when the Islamic State is suffering defeats in Syria and Iraq.

In the 24-minute message, Baghdadi criticizes the large coalition of 34 countries formed on December 15 by Saudi Arabia with the aim of "fighting terrorism".

"They recently announced the formation of a coalition (...) mistakenly called 'Islamic' and stated that its goal is to fight the caliphate," which was declared by the Islamic State in the territories of Syria and Iraq, he said.

"If this coalition were Islamic, it would bring victory and help the people of Syria," he emphasized.

In the message, Baghdadi calls on Saudis to "rebel" against their leaders. He also threatens to attack Israel, emphasizing that the Islamic State "has not forgotten Palestine for a moment." Baghdadi appeared in public for the first and last time in the summer of 2014 in Mosul, writes Hina.