Haaretz also reported that Lieberman directly linked the group to IS, saying: „The Hamasha clan are in essence lawless criminals who in recent years wanted to give themselves an ideological angle or spin, so they became Salafi [jihadists] and began identifying with ISIS.“

Though the group now brands itself as an „anti-terror“ force, locals see little distinction between their behaviour and that of organised crime syndicates. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also reported that the group rebranded from the Anti-Terrorism Unit to The Popular Forces in May 2025 – possibly to obscure its affiliations.