There are no British troops in Syria, the UK Embassy in Moscow said on Friday.

“These reports are untrue. There are absolutely no British troops on Syrian territory at the moment,” an embassy official said.

An Israeli website, Debkafile, has reported that British and Qatari troops are directing rebel ammunition deliveries and tactics in the bloody battle for Homs.

It said four centers of operation had been set up in the city to prepare for a secret Turkish military incursion into Syria.

NATO Secretary General Andres Fogh Rasmussen said earlier on Friday that the alliance would not become involved in the ongoing political crisis in Syria.

Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria backed by the Arab League and Western nations to prevent a repetition of “the Libyan scenario.”

At least 5,400 people have been killed in the government's 11-month crackdown on protesters, according to the UN. Syrian authorities blame the violence on armed gangs affiliated with al-Qaeda and say more than 2,000 soldiers and police have been killed.