A Lebanese security official says a Hezbollah commander and several other fighters from the militant group have been killed in Syria.

The Shiite Muslim group is a strong ally of the Syrian regime. The Syrian opposition has long accused the group of assisting President Bashar Assad crack down on the 18-month-old uprising, a claim the group has denied.

The security official said Tuesday that Hezbollah commander Ali Hussein Nassif's body was brought to Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

It was not clear whether he had been fighting alongside the Syrian army.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV showed the funerals of at least two Hezbollah members it said were killed while performing their "jihadi duty."