Lions of Hussein
- Evan Berridge
- 3 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Insurgency Overview
Guardians of the Dawn was a conglomerate of Pro-Assad, Syrian Nationalist, Christian militias which banded together under one title in 2015. The main objective at the time was the defense of Christian villages and its inhabitants from rebel forces, and to aid the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and being incorporated in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate. (1, 5) The various militia groups under Guardians of the Dawn had been fighting since the start of the civil war in 2012 against anti-Assad rebels which harassed Christian areas of Syria. Each group within Guardians of the Dawn operates in different areas, such as Homs, Damascus, and areas near Saidnaya (1). Past 2018, their movements and current standing are unknown, but it is possible they fled the nation after the 2024 fall of the Assad regime, joined into other units, or disbanded otherwise.
History and Foundations
Pro-Assad Christian militias formed and began fighting in 2012 when opposition rebel groups began kidnapping and holding victims for ransom, attacking Christian churches, religious sites, and Christian-majority towns, such as Saidnaya, north of Damascus. (2,6)
According to the group's founder, Fadi Abd al-Massih Khouri in a blog post, the group was founded in 2015 on September 11th, and began operations the next day, providing aid to those who were under attack within the local area. (1)
Recruiting for the group was mostly done online, especially over Facebook, or possibly locally. The name “Guardians of the Dawn” reportedly popped up around March 2016 online for the first time. (1)
Objectives and Ideology
The Group’s mandate consists of defending the Christians of Syria from attacks, as well as villages/towns, and religious sites, from anti-Assad rebels or other attacking forces. Besides being Christians, they are also described as a Syrian Nationalist militia, with their motto reportedly being “A homeland that we do not protect is one we do not deserve to live in,” with Usud al-Cherbum calling themselves “ mujahideen of the cross.” (1)
A Facebook post in 2016 by Junud al-Massih, a Christian Pro-Assad group, posted a photo with caption: “Syria is beautiful in its Assad. At your service in soul and blood, my lord President Bashar al-Assad. We begin with 5 groups on the ground and today we have become more than 15 armed Syrian Christian factions.” (1,4)
Political and Military Capabilities
Military abilities mostly consist of anti-rebel operations, and the employment of small unit tactics in offensive and defensive capacities. There are photographs of members using at least one tank, along with many light, unarmored vehicles notably pickup trucks for transport and some possibly having weapons such as heavy machine guns . (5)
Political abilities are limited, with leader Fadi Abd al-Massih Khori running as a parliamentary candidate in the April 2016 elections, but did not succeed. There are no reports suggesting they are involved with local or nationwide politics. (1, 5)
They are mostly armed similar to how other groups are, with small arms and shoulder fired munitions, along with some vehicles ( breakdown below).
Approaches to Resistance
Guardians of the Dawn’s main approach works as a security force of sorts; when called upon they will defend territory or people from attacks. Christian regions and neighborhoods of Syria are their main concern, and where most of their focus remains, especially areas under government control.
Almost all of their equipment consists of small arms, such as AK type 3s, AKM, AKMS, AK-74, Chinese type 56 and 56-2, RPG-7s, with fighters commonly equipped with web gear or vests, both carrying pouches for ammo and supplies.They also appear to have one tank in their ranks, what looks to be a T-62 either captured from adversarial forces or given by the government. (1,4,5)
They do not necessarily act as one cohesive force with one headquarters, but rather as separate groups under one cause or banner. They seem to have operated in a loose, cell like structure similar to other groups of their magnitude. They are made up of many different groups under one banner. (1)
International Relations and Alliances
Guardians of the Dawn aligned themselves notably with the government’s air intelligence directorate and other pro government militias. In return, the government would arm the group with weapons and intelligence to combat the rebel, likely small arms and other supplies to carry out operations with. (3)
Guardians of the Dawn is reported to be made up of the following groups upon its inception, among others:
-Ararat Group
-Usud al-Wadi
-Usud al-Hamidiya
-Intervention Regiment- militia for group’s founder, Fadi Abd al-Massih Khouri
-Usud Dwel’a
-Usud al-Cherubim- one of the more active and documented militias
(1)
Apart from the Air Force Directorate, the Guardians of the Dawn has also aided the Syrian Arab Army in some operations, including a 2015 when Usud al-Cherubim helped to secure hills around the Christian locality surrounding Maarouneh, nearby Damascus. Reports also claim they took part in the Hama offensives in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Although not officially part of the SAA or the regime, they acted as more as an auxiliary force. (1)
On the other hand, they oppose rebel factions such as the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other groups like Islamic State (IS) among others. Their operations against said groups consisted of offensive operations, such as those in Hama in the mid to late 2010s. (5,6)
Bibliography
Aymenn Al-Tamimi (12.14.2016) Usud Al-Cherubim: A Pro-Assad Chritstian Militia, Syria Comment, University of Oklahoma Center for Middle East Studies, United States https://joshualandis.com/blog/usud-al-cherubim-pro-assad-christian-militia/
Starr, Stephen (07.09.2014) Christian militias lend muscle to Syrian regime in ongoing battle against rebels, The Irish Times, Ireland
Enabbaladi.net (03.27.2017) Three raids without control over Qamhana…who is guarding it?, Enabbaladi.net, Syria
Aymenn Al-Tamimi (02.19.2016) Liwa Usud al-Hussein: A new Pro-Assad Militia in Latakia, Syria Comment, University of Oklahoma Center for Middle East Studies, United States
Andresen,Pascal (11.04.2017) In this sign will they conquer? Christian militias in the Syrian conflict, bell?ngcat, Netherlands
Istar Broadcasting Corporation (02.28.2015) Christians in Syria form militia to fight Islamic State, Istar Broadcasting Corporation, Iraq