AQAP seizing onto the Israel-Hamas war follows the efforts of Yemen’s Houthi rebels to do the same.
The Iranian-backed group has launched missile attacks on Israel and targeted commercial vessels moving through the Red Sea corridor, as well as American warships.
The US Navy has described their campaign against the Houthis as the most intense combat it has faced since World War II. The Trump administration also launched its own intense campaign of strikes on the Houthis, which only ended before the president’s recent trip to the Middle East.
The Houthis’ international profile rose as the group remains mired in Yemen’s long-stalemated war.
Al-Awlaki may be betting on the same for his group, which UN experts have estimated has between 3,000 and 4,000 active fighters and passive members. The group raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops, as well as smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies and ransom operations, according to the UN.
The Shiite Zaydi Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, a Sunni extremist group.
However, AQAP targeting of the Houthis has dropped in recent years, while the militants keep attacking Saudi-led coalition forces who have battled the Houthis.
“As the Houthis gain popularity as leaders of the Arab and Muslim world’s ‘resistance’ against Israel, al-Awlaki seeks to challenge their dominance by presenting himself as equally concerned about the situation in Gaza,” said Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert of the Basha Report risk advisory firm.
“For a national security and foreign policy community increasingly disengaged from Yemen, this video is a clear reminder: Yemen still matters.