Britain is working with key international allies on plans to provide Syrian rebels with military training and air and naval support, it has been reported.

The head of the armed forces, General Sir David Richards, hosted confidential talks in London a few weeks ago with military chiefs from France, Turkey, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE and a three-star US general to discuss strategy, Belfast Telegraph reported citing The Independent.

The meeting was said to have been held at the request of Prime Minister David Cameron who has made no secret of his frustration at the failure of diplomatic efforts to end the violence which has claimed 40,000 lives.

The UK Ministry of Defence on Monday, December 10 night confirmed it was carrying out contingency planning with international partners, including the US, but refused to be drawn on the details.

According to The Independent, the countries involved have concluded that the 22-month old civil war has reached a tipping point and that intervention is essential to ensure the rebels finally topple the regime of president Bashar Assad.

The report follows a series of strident warnings by the US administration that the regime is preparing to use chemical weapons against its own people.