Al-Qaeda's leader has urged his followers and all militants in Syria to unite ranks and prepare for protracted war.
Ayman al-Zawahri told the extremists to remain steadfast and change tactics to a guerrilla war. His remarks came in an audio message released on Monday by al-Qaeda's media arm As-Sahab.
Al-Zawahri said an "international satanic alliance" will never accept Islam's rule in Syria. He says the war isn't an exclusively nationalist Syrian cause but a campaign by the entire Muslim nation that seeks to establish "divine rule".
Al-Qaeda's Syria branch – formerly the Nusra Front but now known as the Fatah al-Sham Front – has come under increasing attack from the U.S.-led coalition in recent months and some of its most senior leaders have been killed in airstrikes.