One of Hezbollah's most senior operatives has been killed in Syria and buried in his home village in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, the militant group has confirmed.

Ali Hussein Nassif, a founding member of the organisation, was killed at the weekend in Al-Qusayr, a town between the Syrian city of Homs and the Lebanese border, in what is believed to have been a roadside bomb explosion.

A Lebanese government official confirmed that his body had been transferred from Syria through the Masnaa border crossing.

Hezbollah has openly supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising began, a fact that has lost it widespread support in the Arab world, where it was once revered as leading resistance to Israel. The Shiite Islamist movement relies on Syria as a link to its main patron, Iran.

Media outlets loyal to Hezbollah, including al-Manar television and the moqawama.org website, both carried stories acknowledging Nassif's death, which they said had happened as he "carried out his jihad duties." The reports did not specify where he had been killed.

Officials in Nassif's home village of Buday suggested that seven other Hezbollah members had recently been wounded in Syria.

A separate report claimed that a second Hezbollah member, Zain al-Abidin Mustafa, had also been killed "while carrying out his obligation." Senior party officials are reported to have travelled from Beirut to attend his funeral in the party's heartland of Baalbek.

For most of the past 18 months, Hezbollah had steadfastly denied that its members were in action alongside Syrian forces, despite accusations by Syrian rebel groups and opposition figures.

But new graves in cemeteries in Lebanon designated for members deemed to have died as martyrs have been dug throughout the northern summer. There has also been reported discontent among family members who had lost relatives.

Reports of Nassif's funeral appear to mark a departure from a tactic of secrecy.

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