(Libya Twitter)-PM David Cameron admission came as William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, warned ministers to "prepare for the long haul" in Libya and a defence minister said the conflict "may go on for considerably longer.
Military intervention against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces is in its sixth week, but the rebels aiming to oust the Libyan dictator have failed to make significant progress against him.
That failure has put pressure on Britain and other Western countries to do more to help the rebels. Britain has already sent them telecoms equipment and body armour and deployed a team of military officers to advise them.
PM made his remarks about arms in a letter to Bill Cash, the senior Conservative MP who first raised the prospect of arming the rebels last month.
PM wrote: "We do not rule out supplying lethal equipment, but we have not taken a decision to do so and there remain legal and practical questions which need to be carefully considered.
Attack raised speculation that the allies are directly targeting the Libyan leader, a prospect that was condemned by Russia. Vladimir Putin, the Russian premier, said the mission had exceeded its mandate by trying to kill Col Muammar Gaddafi.
Who gave themselves the right to sentence someone to death, regardless what kind of person he is?" Mr Putin said. "They say, 'No, we don't want to destroy him.' Then why bomb the palaces? Is that how they drive out the mice?"
Russia abstained in the original vote in the United Nations Security Council imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. In light of the comment, Libyan state television said Tripoli would ask Moscow to call an emergency meeting of the Security Council.
Mr Hague said he would not discuss detailed targeting decisions, saying: "What and who is a target depends on how they behave.
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