CAIRO - In a video recorded before international airstrikes began in Libya, al-Qaida's deputy leader calls on Muslim nations to fight the United States and NATO if their forces enter the country.

Ayman al-Zawahri also calls on Muslim nations to fight the forces of Moammar Gadhafi.

Al-Qaida and its North African offshoot have called for the Libyan leader's overthrow and the establishment of Islamic rule in the country.

In the recording posted on militant Internet forums Thursday, al-Zawahri says neighboring Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia, in particular, should "rise up and fight both the mercenaries of Gadhafi and the rest of NATO."

A summary of the video was provided by SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based organization that tracks extremist websites.