On 6 February 2025, he declared the formation of the
Coastal Shield Brigade in a recording in the
mountains of
Latakia Governorate in response to violations committed against
Alawites, during which he threatened to attack the
transitional government inside and outside the coastal governorates, while also calling for Alawites to "take arms" against president
Ahmed al-Sharaa and to resist
disarmament. The
Institute for the Study of War assessed that Fatiha had likely established the group "using resources and human networks developed under the Assad regime". On 21 February, Fatiha announced in a video clip that the Coastal Shield Brigade,
Islamic Resistance Front in Syria, and Ghosts of the Spirit of Resistance Forces, an eastern Syria-based organization led by Abdul Hamid al-Shamali, would be cooperating to fight against "takfiri terrorist organizations" and the Syrian government. On 26 February 2025, during unrest and rioting in
Qardaha, he made calls for disobedience, accompanied by some of his supporters, and was falsely attributed to have fled upon the arrival of
military reinforcements in a video on social media. A
Syria TV report said that Fatiha has used former smuggling routes along the
Lebanese border to move fighters and weapons into Syria, such as through . On 19 December 2025, he was sanctioned by the
United Kingdom for his involvement in the March 2025 clashes and "historic violence committed during the Syrian Civil War". == Personal life ==