海角大神

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander has been killed inside聽Syria聽by rebels battling Iran's close ally President聽Bashar al-Assad, Iranian officials and a rebel leader said on Thursday .

Syrian rebels have repeatedly accused聽Tehran聽of sending fighters to help Assad crush the 22-month-old uprising, a charge Iran has denied.

The聽Iranian embassy in Lebanon聽said the dead man, Hessam Khoshnevis, was in charge of聽Tehran's reconstruction assistance in聽Lebanon. It said he was killed by "armed terrorist groups," a label used by the聽Syrian government聽to describe Assad's foes, on the road to聽Lebanon聽as he returned from聽Damascus.

A Syrian opposition commander said the attack was carried out by rebel fighters near the Syrian town of聽Zabadani聽close to the Lebanese border.

Iran has strongly backed Assad during the uprising in which the聽United Nations says nearly 70,000 people have been killed. In September Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander-in-chief said the force was providing non-military support in Syria聽and may get involved militarily if there is foreign intervention.

Last year Syrian rebels kidnapped 48 Iranians who they said were Revolutionary Guard fighters and authorities in聽Tehran聽described as pilgrims. They released them this year in a prisoner swap with Syrian authorities.

Details of Khoshnevis's killing, which Iranian news agencies said happened on Tuesday, were sketchy and Iran's envoy to聽Beirut聽drew a link with聽Israel.

Forty eight hours after his death no rebel brigade had claimed responsibility.

"He served the oppressed, supporting the resistance to聽Israel," Iran's ambassador to聽Beirut聽Ghazanfar Roknabadi聽told reporters as he received condolences from senior Lebanese officials. "Assassinating this dear martyr is a clear sign that the Zionist enemy does not accept his successful work".

In聽Tehran, a funeral service was held for Khoshnevis on Thursday, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported, attended by senior Revolutionary Guards commanders.

Tehran backs Assad

Tehran's IRNA news agency said Khoshnevis, identified in some reports as commander聽Hassan Shateri, was a military engineer during the 1980-88 conflict between Iran and聽Iraq, and later operated in聽Afghanistan.

But officials stressed Khoshnevis was engaged in civilian reconstruction in Lebanon聽for the last seven years and聽Lebanon's Al Safir newspaper said had been in聽Syria聽to study reconstruction plans for the northern city of聽Aleppo.

Whole districts of聽Aleppo,聽Syria's largest city, and other urban centres across the country, have been destroyed in months of entrenched urban warfare. Assad has used air strikes and artillery to push back rebels, who have become increasingly well-armed as the conflict approaches its third year.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards public relations office said Khoshnevis would be buried in his home town of聽Semnan聽after being "martyred on his way from聽Damascus聽to聽Beirut聽by mercenaries."

(Additional reporting by Zahra Hosseinian; editing by Janet McBride)