Fayadh was born in the village of Ayn al-Arus, near Jableh, to an Alawite family of the prominent Kalbiyya clan.

Other members of the clan include Fayadh's cousin and former Syrian president Hafez al-Assad.

[3] The 3rd Division under Fayadh played an extremely important role for the government of Hafez al-Assad.

Fayadh played an important role during the Islamic uprising in Syria, occupying Aleppo with the 3rd Division in 1980, and taking part in the Hama massacre.

[4] The Division was deployed near Damascus, in order to protect the government against potential coups.