However, a senior U.S. administration official said that although al-Zawahiri was likely to be al-Qaeda's next leader, his authority was not "universally accepted" among al-Qaeda's followers, particularly in the Gulf region.
En fremtrædende amerikansk embedsmand udtalte dog, at selvom Zawahiri højst sandsynligt ville blive al-Qaedas næste leder, var hans autoritet ikke "alment accepteret" blandt al-Qaedas tilhængere, især i Golf-regionen.