A senior Syrian official, Mohammed Darrar Jamo, has been shot dead in the southern Lebanese town of Sarafand, BBC News reported.

Jamo, a supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was attacked early on Wednesday morning as he entered his house.

Lebanese sources say gunmen opened fire on him but left his wife, who was with him at the time, unharmed.

The attack is being seen as the latest sign of how the conflict in Syria is threatening to destabilise Lebanon.

The Syrian state news agency, Sana, said Mohammed Darrar Jamo was head of the political and international relations division of the International Organisation for Arab Immigrants.

He had also frequently appeared as a political expert on Arabic-language television channels, defending President Assad.