Lions of Hussein

The Guardians of Syria Forces - Lions of Hussein (Quwat Humat Souriya - Usud al-Hussein), formerly known as Lions of Hussein Brigade (Liwa Usud al-Hussein) and often shortened to Lions of Hussein, are an Alawite militia which fights for the Ba'athist government during the Syrian Civil War. The unit originates as Shabiha and criminal organization that has operated in Latakia Governorate since the 1980s, and only adopted its current name and appearance in 2015. Since then, the Lions of Hussein reportedly continued their "criminal activities on the side".

Muhammad al-Assad's Shabiha
The Lions of Hussein began as the personal gang of Muhammad Tawfiq al-Assad, a native of Qardaha and member of the wider Al-Assad family. In the 1980s, the group ran smuggling networks throughout Latakia, dealt in contraband as well as drugs, and was reportedly involved in kidnappings, extortion and theft. Between 1989 and 1994, they operated as government-sanctioned Shabiha, with Mohammed amassing millions of Syrian pounds and becoming notorious and feared as smuggler and "highway robber (qata’ al-tariq)". According to a Syrian opposition source, the activities of the group became so excessive that Bassel al-Assad had Muhammad and some of his aides thrown into prison, though they were eventually released on the orders of Bashar al-Assad.

As the Syrian economy opened up, Muhammad adopted a more legal persona, entered business and bought a PhD for himself, though kept his criminial network and fief around Qardaha. After the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, Muhammad led the recruitment of new members for Shabiha militias in Latakia. According to an opposition source, Muhammad and his men committed various unspecified atrocities in course of the conflict, causing frictions among the powerful Alawite families of Latakia. Many clans feared possible rebel reprisals due to the actions of the Shabiha, and in October 2012 this reportedly caused an armed dispute between Muhammad and a member of the Khayyir family.

Muhammad was eventually killed on 12 March 2015, when he was either ambushed and shot by a rival or killed during another dispute. After his death, his followers reportedly brought his body to the frontline at Doreen in northern Latakia and went on to claim that he had died fighting rebels. A Free Syrian Army senior commander however denied that rebel forces had killed Muhammad. According to a Syrian Army soldier Muhammad had been killed just after the government had asked him to form a paramilitary unit.

Reorganization under Hussein's leadership
After Muhammad's death, his son, Hussein Tawfiq al-Assad, took control of the criminal network. He went on to rebrand and reorganize it as official paramilitary unit, and around late June/early July 2015 officially "founded" the "Lions of Hussein Brigade". This was part of a wider initiative to reorganize the pro-government forces in Latakia into the newly formed 4th Corps, of which the Lions of Hussein became a part. According to Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, the new name of the group could be understood as referring both to Hussein Tawfiq al-Assad himself as well as Imam Husayn ibn Ali. The Lions of Hussein consequently fought for the government in various war zones, participating in the Palmyra offensive (July–August 2015) against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Al-Ghab offensive (July–August 2015), the offensive to recapture Marj al-Sultan airbase in late 2015, and the 2015–16 Latakia offensive. Meanwhile, the unit reportedly continues its "criminal activities on the side".

Around February 2016, the unit underwent another reformation and reconstitution, adopting a new name: "Guardians of Syria Forces - Lions of Hussein", and by March, it was active in eastern Aleppo. The Lions of Hussein also launched a recruitment campaign in June 2016, promising recruits 50,000 Syrian pounds ($230) for fighting in the Latakia region, and 80,000 pounds ($360) for fighting in Palmyra.

The militia was probably still active around February 2017.

Equipment
The Lions of Hussein are considered to be "well armed"; their primary weapons appear to be AKMs and AK-74s, while they employ technicals as improvised fighting vehicles. The group also possesses heavy weapons, such as RPG-7s, 9K111 Fagot or 9M113 Konkurs rocket launchers and at least one tank. The militia's fighters are paid by the Republican Guard.