BEIRUT, Dec. 2 -- No British troops but only "technical teams" are present in Lebanon to help monitor the border with Syria against the infiltration of Islamic State (IS) militants, a high-ranking military source said on Tuesday, denying earlier reports.

The source, quoted by local al-Joumhouria newspaper, said that the British team only helped the Lebanese army in building 12 towers to facilitate the monitoring of the border near the Christian town of Ras Baalbek in the eastern Bekaa region.

"There are no British forces in Lebanon ... only British technical teams are present to aid in constructing the towers," the source said.

Earlier on Sunday, the UK-based newspaper, The Telegraph, reported that a British team has secretly saved Ras Baalbek from advancing IS forces by constructing a network of watchtowers.

A spokesperson of the British Foreign Office said that Britain will provide the Lebanese military 273 million U.S. dollars in aid and 31 million dollars in a military program to train and equip the Lebanese army with necessary tools to monitor the movements of "fundamentalist groups on the borders with Syria."

The monitoring towers were built in 17 days in July and finished less than two weeks ago, The Telegraph said.

In August, fundamentalist gunmen from the al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front and the IS infiltrated the border town of Arsasl and clashed with the Lebanese army in a five-day battle.

Following their withdrawal to Syria, the gunmen kidnapped at least 28 soldiers and policemen. Al-Nusra later executed two soldiers and the IS beheaded another one.

The Lebanese government has since engaged in negotiations through a Qatari mediator to secure the release of the hostages.

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