Coastal Shield Brigade
{{Short description|Assadist militant group founded in 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox militant organization
| name = Coastal Shield Brigade
| native_name = لواء درع الساحل
| native_name_lang = ar
| caption = Coastal Shield Brigade logo
| image = 200 px
| founding_leader = Miqdad Fatiha
| foundation = 1 January 2015 (within the Syrian Arab Army){{Cite web |last=Al-Tamimi |first=Aymenn Jawad |date=23 July 2015|access-date=25 March 2025|title=The Coastal Shield Brigade: A New Pro-Assad Militia |url=https://www.meforum.org/syria-assad-militia |website=Middle East Forum}}
6 February 2025 (as an insurgent cell){{Cite web |title=Iran Update, February 6, 2025|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-february-6-2025 |access-date=2 April 2025|date=6 February 2025|website=Institute for the Study of War|language=en}}
| country = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg}} Syria
| allegiance = {{flag|Ba'athist Syria}}
| motives = To overthrow the Syrian Transitional Government.
| headquarters =
| area = Latakia Governorate
| ideology = Assadism{{Cite web |date=12 March 2025 |title=Assad loyalist Miqdad Fatiha using Lebanon for cross-border attacks on Syria|url=https://www.newarab.com/news/assad-loyalist-using-lebanon-cross-border-attacks-syria|access-date=30 March 2025 |website=The New Arab |language=en}}
| position =
| allies = {{flagicon image|Syrian Popular Resistance.png}} Syrian Popular Resistance
{{flagicon|Syria|1980}} Military Council for the Liberation of Syria
| opponents = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg}} Syrian transitional government
| battles = {{tree list}}
- Syrian civil war
- Western Syria clashes
- March 2025 Western Syria clashes{{Cite web|url=https://almashhad.com/article/773112298002792-News/929431804953529-%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84-70-%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B9%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9/|title=فيديو - الساحل السوري يشتعل.. 70 قتيلا واشتباكات عنيفة|date=7 March 2025|website=قناة ومنصة المشهد}}
{{tree list/end}}
| flag =
}}
Coastal Shield Brigade ({{Langx|ar|لواء درع الساحل|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.
History
The group was officially founded on 1 January 2015, in Latakia province as a local militia for Republican Guard. The group started recruitment of soldiers in late May of the same year.
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{{clarify|reason=meaning is unclear|date=March 2025}} which was spread by the Syrian Popular Resistance.{{Cite web |date=6 February 2025 |title=بقيادة "مقداد فتيحة".. عصابة إجرامية من فلول النظام تشكل ميليشيا "درع الساحل" لاستهداف |script-title=ar:بقيادة "مقداد فتيحة".. عصابة إجرامية من فلول النظام تشكل ميليشيا "درع الساحل" لاستهداف |trans-title=Led by "Muqdad Fatiha", a criminal gang from the remnants of the regime forms the "Coastal Shield" militia to target |url=https://shaam.org/news/syria-news/%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%84%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%83%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%84-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%81 |access-date=6 February 2025 |website=Shaam.org |language=ar}}{{Cite web |date=7 February 2025 |title=الإعلان عن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل" في سوريا.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟ |script-title=ar:الإعلان عن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل" في سوريا.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟ |trans-title=Announcing the formation of the “Coastal Shield Brigade” in Syria.. Who is the leader of the organization? |url=https://www.eremnews.com/news/arab-world/16jhcvg |access-date=7 February 2025 |website=Erem News |language=ar}} 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.{{Cite web |date=6 February 2025 |title="لواء درع الساحل".. ميليشيا بقيادة مقداد فتيحة ضد الدولة {{!}}فيديو |script-title=ar:"لواء درع الساحل".. ميليشيا بقيادة مقداد فتيحة ضد الدولة {{!}}فيديو |trans-title="Coastal Shield Brigade"... a militia led by Miqdad Fatiha against the state {{!}} Video |url=https://www.syria.tv/%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%81%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D8%B6%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88 |access-date=6 February 2025 |website=Syria TV}} Fatiha stated in the video about the Coastal Shield Brigade's establishment to the escalation of violations by Ahmad al-Sharaa’s authority{{clarify|reason=meaning is unclear|date=March 2025}} 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.{{Cite web |date=6 February 2025 |title=سوريا : مقداد فتيحة يعلن عن تأسيس لواء درع الساحل لمواجهة انتهاكات سلطة أحمد الشرع |script-title=ar:سوريا : مقداد فتيحة يعلن عن تأسيس لواء درع الساحل لمواجهة انتهاكات سلطة أحمد الشرع |trans-title=Syria: Miqdad Fateha announces the establishment of the Coast Shield Brigade to confront the violations of Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s authority |url=https://title.news/16211-.html |access-date=6 February 2025 |website=Title.news}}{{Cite web |date=6 February 2025 |title=لمواجهة الإدارة السورية الجديدة.. مقداد فتيحة يعلن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل" |script-title=ar:لمواجهة الإدارة السورية الجديدة.. مقداد فتيحة يعلن تشكيل “لواء درع الساحل” |trans-title=To confront the new Syrian administration, Muqdad Fatiha announces the formation of the “Coastal Shield Brigade” |url=https://www.hashtagsyria.com/%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%A7/ |access-date=7 February 2025 |website=Hashtag Syria |language=ar}}
Fatiha stated the Coastal Shield Brigade would take responsibility for any operations done against Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham in the Latakia Governorate.{{Cite web |date=9 February 2025 |title=الإعلان عن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل" لمحاربة الهيئة.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟ |script-title=ar:الإعلان عن تشكيل “لواء درع الساحل” لمحاربة الهيئة.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟ |trans-title=Announcing the formation of the “Coastal Shield Brigade” to fight the organization.. Who is the leader of the organization? |url=https://worldnews-sy.net/?p=379680 |access-date=11 February 2025 |website=World News Syria |language=ar}} According to Turkish media, Fatiha was notorious for his alleged involvement in drug trafficking, bribery, kidnapping and extrajudicial killings during the Assad regime.{{Cite web |date=7 February 2025 |title=Suriye'de eski rejimin kötü şöhretli komutanı silahlı örgüt kurdu |trans-title=In Syria, the notorious commander of the former regime formed an armed organization |url=https://www.samimihaber.com/suriyede-eski-rejimin-kotu-sohretli-komutani-silahli-orgut-kurdu |access-date=9 February 2025 |website=Samimi Haber |language=tr}} Fatiha likely used resources and human networks developed under the Assad regime to establish the Coastal Shield Brigade.