In December 2011, defected Syrian Army officers reported that prior to his appointment of Chief of Staff, al-Freij commanded the Syrian Army Special Forces in the regions of Daraa, Idlib and Hama during the Syrian uprising.
Pada Desember 2011, petugas Tentara Suriah membelot melaporkan bahwa sebelum diangkat dari Kepala Staf, al-Freij memerintahkan Suriah Pasukan Khusus di daerah Daraa, Idlib dan Hama selama pemberontakan Suriah.