Lions of Hussein
| Lions of Hussein | |
|---|---|
| Arabic: لواء أسود الحسين | |
The logo of the militia. On the bottom the slogan "Homeland, Honour, Sincerity" is written. | |
| Leaders | Muhammad Tawfiq al-Assad † Hussein Tawfiq al-Assad |
| Dates of operation | 1980s – 2015 (as Shabiha and criminal organization) 2015 – ? (as official militia) |
| Allegiance | Ba'athist Syria |
| Headquarters | Qardaha |
| Active regions | Syria |
| Ideology | Assadism Anti-Wahhabism |
| Size | c. 1,000 (2014) |
| Part of |
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| Allies | |
| Opponents | |
| Wars | the Syrian Civil War |
The Guardians of Syria Forces - Lions of Hussein (Arabic: قوات حماة سوريا - أسود الحسين, Quwat Humat Souriya - Usud al-Hussein), formerly known as Lions of Hussein Brigade (Arabic: لواء أسود الحسين, Liwa Usud al-Hussein) and often shortened to Lions of Hussein, was an Alawite militia which fought for the Ba'athist government during the Syrian Civil War.
The unit originated from Shabiha, a criminal organization that operated in Latakia Governorate since the 1980s, and only adopted its name and appearance in 2015. Since then, the Lions of Hussein reportedly continued their "criminal activities on the side".