2006年VOA标准英语-Zawahiri Threatens Revenge for Israeli Attacks

By Scott Stearns
Washington
27 July 2006

A key al-Qaida leader has called for revenge against Israel's offensives in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. President Bush says he is not surprised.

Undated video broadcast of Ayman al-Zawahiri   
  
Al-Qaida's second-in-command says the terrorist group will not remain silent while Israeli attacks "burn our brothers."

In a taped message broadcast by the al-Jazerra television network, Ayman al-Zawahiri called for Muslims to rise up and become martyrs¹ in a global Jihad against Israel and what he called the crusader coalition².

He said war with Israel does not depend on cease-fires. It is a jihad that will last, he says, until religion prevails from Spain to Iraq. "The entire world is an open battlefield for us," Zawahiri said.

It is his 10th taped message of the year, but the first from al-Qaida since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants³ in Lebanon began more than two weeks ago.

Asked about the tape during an Oval Office meeting with the President of Romania, President Bush said he is not surprised that other terrorists are starting to speak out in support of Hezbollah.

 
George W. Bush 
  
"Zawahiri's attitude about life is that there should not be free societies," said Mr. Bush. "And he believes that people ought to use terrorist tactics - the killing⁴ of innocent people - to achieve his objective. And so I am not surprised that he feels like he needs to lend his voice to terrorist activities that are trying to prevent democracies from moving forward."

With al-Qaida's strength significantly reduced, White House spokesman Tony Snow believes the new threats are part of Zawahiri's efforts to remain relevant, or to "stay in the game."

Observers say it may also signal the willingness of the largely Sunni organization to set aside sectarian differences and help the predominantly Shi'ite Hezbollah movement in its fight against Israel.

1 martyrs   

n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情）

参考例句：

• the early Christian martyrs 早期基督教殉道者
• They paid their respects to the revolutionary martyrs. 他们向革命烈士致哀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。