Overview

• In a half-hour video released June 7 by AQAP supporters, al-Awlaki threatened President Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and senior U.S. officials.
• He appealed for lone-wolf militants to carry out assassinations of leaders in Egypt, Jordan and Gulf Arab states, declaring no red lines after Gaza’s devastation.
• Al-Awlaki succeeded Khalid al-Batarfi in 2024 and carries a $6 million U.S. bounty for publicly calling for attacks against the United States and its allies.
• With an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 members, AQAP is leveraging the Israel-Hamas war to challenge Houthi rebels’ standing in regional resistance narratives.
• The U.S. Navy reports its campaign against Iran-backed Houthi forces in the Red Sea corridor has been its most intense combat since World War II.