BEIRUT: A statement issued by Al-Qaeda threatened Lebanese Shiites that they will “pay” for their support of the Syrian regime. The statement, which appeared as an audio message on a Jihadist website on Aug. 17 and was recently picked up by the media, warned Shiites in Lebanon that “the positions of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement vis-à-vis the Syrian revolution do not serve the sect’s best interest ... If you maintain your arrogant attitude, you will be punished and you will pay. You only have yourselves to blame.” The statement was attributed to the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an alleged Al-Qaeda branch that is active in Lebanon and Syria. It has claimed rocket attacks from Lebanon into Israel in the past.