The Central Command of the Baath Party has issued a decree appointing Mujahid Fouad Ismail, known as Abu Hafez, as the commander of the Baath Brigades militias in Syria.
Ismail has previously held several significant positions, including commander of the Baath Brigades in the Damascus countryside, a member of the Central Committee of the Baath Party, and, most recently, a member of Assad’s parliament with backing from regime intelligence.
He has been implicated in numerous crimes against the Syrian people and served as deputy commander of the Baath Brigades militia. Ismail is also on sanctions lists due to his extensive involvement in human rights violations, including participation in the looting with the Shabiha and the killing of demonstrators in the Hassan and Rifai mosques in Damascus.
Notably, his father, Fouad Majid Ismail, was an influential officer from Qardaha in Lattakia Governorate. In the 1980s, he served as a colonel and played a significant role in the Hama massacre of 1982.
The Ismail and Assad families have longstanding social ties. In 2023, Hafez, the son of Mujahid Ismail, married the daughter of Ahmed al-Assad, and Ismail’s aunt, Rana Fouad Ismail, is married to Haroun al-Assad.
Mujahid Ismail’s criminal activities extend beyond the years of the Syrian revolution; he exploited his father’s influence, who passed away in 2009, to engage in the kidnapping and extortion of merchants, including the well-known businessman Ahmed Hadiya. At the outbreak of the revolution, he became one of the key figures endorsed by the regime for operations with the Shabiha and violence against civilians.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
