BRUSSELS - A NATO official denied a report on Libyan state television on Tuesday that Libyan forces hit one of its warships off the coast near the rebel-held city of Misrata.

"It's a totally fabricated allegation," the official said.

"We have checked with our operational headquarters in Naples who have verified that there are no NATO ships close enough to the coast that could be hit by shots fired by pro-Gaddafi forces," he said.

The NATO official noted that the reports came 24 hours after a NATO ship successfully prevented an attack on Misrata by assault boats.