The closure of European and Arab embassies in Damascus could mean possible preparations for a foreign military intervention in Syria, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said, RIA Novosti reported.

“Right now it is possibly not a refusal from a diplomatic solution to the problem, but could be a sign that they are preparing to unleash a larger conflict,” Churkin said in an interview with Russia’s NTV channel.

Churkin said he believes that is why some media reports say British and Qatari special task forces arrived in Syria.

The United States and other Western countries have demanded that Syrian President Assad step down and hand power over to the opposition. The Arab League has been at the forefront of regional efforts to end violence in Syria. The group put forward a plan that Assad agreed to in December, and then sent monitors to Syria.

The League withdrew its monitoring mission from Syria in January because the regime failed to end the bloodshed.

Among other European countries and the U.S. that have already closed their diplomatic outposts in Syria, Switzerland has decided to close its embassy in Damascus and called on all Swiss citizens to immediately leave Syria, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter told RSR radio station.

Burkhalter said that “the embassy will be closed in the coming days,” adding that by doing this Switzerland wants to send a strong signal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.