Coastal Shield Brigade (Arabic: لواء درع الساحل, romanized: Liwāʼ Dirʻ al-Sāḥil) is a Syrian Assadist militant organization formed in January 2015. It announced its operations in February 2025, after the fall of the Assad regime.
| Coastal Shield Brigade | |
|---|---|
| لواء درع الساحل | |
 .png) Emblems they used | |
| Founding leader | Miqdad Fatiha |
| Foundation | 1 January 2015 (within the SAA);[1] 6 February 2025 (as an insurgent cell)[2] |
| Country |  Syria |
| Allegiance |  Ba'athist Syria |
| Motives | To overthrow the Syrian Transitional Government. |
| Headquarters | Tartus governorate or Latakia Governorate (suspected) |
| Active regions | Latakia Governorate |
| Ideology | Neo-Ba'athism Assadism[3] |
| Allies |  Syrian Popular Resistance |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
History
editThe group was officially founded on 1 January 2015, in Latakia province as a local miltia for Republican Guard. The group started recruitment of soldiers in late May of the same year.[1]
In 2025, after the fall of the Assad regime, the group published a video showing its establishment against the Military Operations Command and the Syrian Transitional Government[clarification needed] which was spread by the Syrian Popular Resistance.[5][6] They established the Coastal Brigade near the Latakia Mountains in the Latakia Governorate to fight against Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in their original stronghold. He also called for Alawites and previous supporters of Bashar al-Assad to "take arms" against HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.[7] Fatiha stated in the video about the Coastal Shield Brigade's establishment to the escalation of violations by Ahmad al-Sharaa’s authority[clarification needed] after the attacks on the Alawites in the cities of the Syrian coast, stressing the brigade’s responsibility for any targeting of al-Sharaa’s authority on the coast and outside the Syrian coast.[8][9]
Fatiha stated the Coastal Shield Brigade would take responsibility for any operations done against Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham in the Latakia Governorate.[10] According to Turkish media, Fatiha was notorious for his alleged involvement in drug trafficking, bribery, kidnapping and extrajudicial killings during the Assad regime.[11] Fatiha likely used resources and human networks developed under the Assad regime to establish the Coastal Shield Brigade.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (23 July 2015). "The Coastal Shield Brigade: A New Pro-Assad Militia". Middle East Forum. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Iran Update, February 6, 2025". Institute for the Study of War. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Assad loyalist Miqdad Fatiha using Lebanon for cross-border attacks on Syria". The New Arab. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ "فيديو - الساحل السوري يشتعل.. 70 قتيلا واشتباكات عنيفة". قناة ومنصة المشهد. 7 March 2025.
- ^ "بقيادة "مقداد فتيحة".. عصابة إجرامية من فلول النظام تشكل ميليشيا "درع الساحل" لاستهداف" بقيادة "مقداد فتيحة".. عصابة إجرامية من فلول النظام تشكل ميليشيا "درع الساحل" لاستهداف [Led by "Muqdad Fatiha", a criminal gang from the remnants of the regime forms the "Coastal Shield" militia to target]. Shaam.org (in Arabic). 6 February 2025. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ^ "الإعلان عن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل" في سوريا.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟" الإعلان عن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل" في سوريا.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟ [Announcing the formation of the “Coastal Shield Brigade” in Syria.. Who is the leader of the organization?]. Erem News (in Arabic). 7 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ^ ""لواء درع الساحل".. ميليشيا بقيادة مقداد فتيحة ضد الدولة |فيديو" "لواء درع الساحل".. ميليشيا بقيادة مقداد فتيحة ضد الدولة |فيديو ["Coastal Shield Brigade"... a militia led by Miqdad Fatiha against the state | Video]. Syria TV. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ^ "سوريا : مقداد فتيحة يعلن عن تأسيس لواء درع الساحل لمواجهة انتهاكات سلطة أحمد الشرع" سوريا : مقداد فتيحة يعلن عن تأسيس لواء درع الساحل لمواجهة انتهاكات سلطة أحمد الشرع [Syria: Miqdad Fateha announces the establishment of the Coast Shield Brigade to confront the violations of Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s authority]. Title.news. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ^ "لمواجهة الإدارة السورية الجديدة.. مقداد فتيحة يعلن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل"" لمواجهة الإدارة السورية الجديدة.. مقداد فتيحة يعلن تشكيل “لواء درع الساحل” [To confront the new Syrian administration, Muqdad Fatiha announces the formation of the “Coastal Shield Brigade”]. Hashtag Syria (in Arabic). 6 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ^ "الإعلان عن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل" لمحاربة الهيئة.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟" الإعلان عن تشكيل “لواء درع الساحل” لمحاربة الهيئة.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟ [Announcing the formation of the “Coastal Shield Brigade” to fight the organization.. Who is the leader of the organization?]. World News Syria (in Arabic). 9 February 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ "Suriye'de eski rejimin kötü şöhretli komutanı silahlı örgüt kurdu" [In Syria, the notorious commander of the former regime formed an armed organization]. Samimi Haber (in Turkish). 7 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2025.