Al Qaeda warns of attacks in Gulf, Israel

DUBAI, Sep 11 (Reuters) Al Qaeda warned in a video aired on the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks that US allies Israel and the Gulf Arab states would be its next target in a campaign that would seal the West's economic doom.

Deputy al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahri said in remarks apparently addressed to Western leaders: ''I tell them do not bother yourselves with defending your forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. These forces are doomed to failure.

''You have to bolster your defences in two areas ... the first is the Gulf, from which you will be evicted, God willing, after your defeat in Iraq and then your economic doom will be achieved,'' he said in the video broadcast in part on the Arabic al-Jazeera television channel.

''And the next (target) is Israel. The current of holy war is closing on it and your end there will put an end of the Zionist-crusader supermacy.'' Zawahri's warning of attacks in the Gulf, the world's top oil exporting region, follows previous calls by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to target oil facilities to cripple the West.

In the video, Zawahri urged Muslims to step up their attacks against the United States and the West, according to excerpts aired by CNN television network.

Ceremonies were due to take place today across the United States to mark the attacks that triggered Washington's global ''War on Terror''.

''MANHATTAN RAIDS'' CNN said the video was available on Islamist Web sites, but it could not be found on the mainstream sites often used by militant groups. It quoted Zawahri as saying that ''new events'' were on the way.

''Your leaders are hiding from you the true extent of the disaster,'' Zawahri said. ''And the days are pregnant and giving birth to new events, with God's permission and guidance.'' The video showed Zawahri dressed in white and sitting in front of a book case. It appeared to be part of al Qaeda's own commemoration of the attacks on New York and Washington which killed almost 3,000 people.

Zawahri held the US-allied governments of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia responsible for the killing of Muslims in the West Asia Al Jazeera said.

''Israel has been able to dominate Lebanon and Gaza only because Egypt has been totally removed from the conflict with Israel,'' Zawahri said.

Al Qaeda's media arm al-Sahab yesterday released a 92-minute video entitled ''The Manhattan Raids'', a collage of video footage showing bin Laden urging the attackers to prepare themselves for martyrdom, the wills of some of the attackers and clips showing the men training in an unidentified location.

Almost all of the 19 suicide attackers who hijacked 4 airliners during the attack were Saudi Arabians.

REUTERS BDP BST1605