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Given the timing of both the original taping and the release, it was primarily aimed not at Egypt, Iraq, or Afghanistan, but Israel.

If the tape was made in November, then its call for the elimination of Israel should be put in context. This tape was made probably just a few days or weeks (Nov 2005) after Iran set off international outrage for saying Israel should be "wiped off the map" (10/26/05). Then it was held 4-5 months and released . . . on Passover (4/12/06).

Most important, given the context and timing of what was going on inside Iran in November when this was taped, and now what is going on inside Iran this week when it was released, it openly and directly allies al Qaeda with Iranian strategic objectives.

Iraq is no longer the central battlefield for them, but is being used to support a larger and globally unifying objective - - Israel.

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/e15e03d6-1013-440f-bdcf-e61d727624ed.html

Thursday, 27 October 2005

Iran: President Says Israel Should Be 'Wiped Off Map'

By Golnaz Esfandiari (snipped)

Prague, 27 October 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad yesterday cited comments by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic revolution, when he declared, "As the imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."
Ahmadinejad told an audience of 3,000 students that there was "no doubt the new wave [of attacks] in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from the face of the Islamic world." . . .

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said in reaction to the remarks that Iran represents a danger for Israel. "Today, Israelis saw two extreme examples of violent language, where leaders in the Muslim world called for the destruction of Israel," he said. "Both the Iranian president and the leader of Hamas, al-Zahar, talked openly about destroying Israel. It is not surprising that there are people out there who take this extreme language, this violent language, and transform it into violent actions."

The United States also expressed concern over Ahmadinejad’s remarks. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said last night in Washington: "I think you are starting to see, through some of these remarks, some of the true views and intentions of this [Iranian] regime, and I think that it only serves to underscore our concern, as well as the international communities concern, about Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons." . .

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1143498849735&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

". . . He pointed to Israeli opposition to Hamas' entering Palestinian elections. He did not mention Hamas' victory in the voting, a possible indication the video was made before the January elections.

In the last al-Zawahri video, aired on March 4 he congratulated Hamas on its victory and offered support.

Al-Zawahri appeared in two other videos in January. On January 19, bin Laden released an audiotape, parts of which were aired on al-Jazeera. It was the first message from the al-Qaida leader in more than a year. . ."