A little-seen video uploaded to YouTube yesterday claims to depict the funeral of an elite Hezbollah figure killed fighting in Syria on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

The video comes amid deepening Iran-Hezbollah coordination on Syria. Hezbollah has declared that its participation in the conflict is a national, moral duty. Experts have in contrast identified the Iran-backed terror group’s activities as war crimes:

As of March 2011, Hezbollah has actively taken part in the repression of Syria’s civil unrest alongside the Syrian regime. No conclusive evidence has emerged as of yet of direct responsibility in war crimes for Hezbollah operatives. However, given the gruesome and ongoing nature of repression in Syria, Hezbollah is, in all likelihood, an accomplice to crimes against humanity, and acts of wonton and random ferocity against civilians in Syria.

Hezbollah’s increased activity will heighten fears that the group may acquire and deploy Syrian weapons of mass destruction, part of what analysts have described as as a “vast arsenal of operational-level chemical and biological weapons, based on lethal and incapacitating agents.” The International Institute For Strategic Studies warned about the scenario last year:

The greatest danger is that external non-state actors could get their hands on Syria’s chemical weapons. Indeed, groups like al-Qaeda with factions operating in Syria have shown an interest in acquiring them. The Syrian elite has also hinted at the possibility of transferring some of their weapons to groups like Hizbullah, should their survival be at risk and in order to destabilise the region.

Israel has emphasized that it will act to prevent WMD acquisition by non-state actors on either side of the Syrian war.