WASHINGTON – The United States and its allies should plan for a no-fly zone over Libya and consider bombing the country’s airports and runways, but they should take no action unless there is an international agreement, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Sunday.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and other lawmakers continued a drumbeat for military action in Libya, in the face of reluctance from the White House and U.S. defense officials, who argue that taking out Libya’s air defenses would be tantamount to going to war.

“Lots of people throw around phrases of ‘no-fly zone’ and they talk about it as though it’s just a game, a video game or something. Some people who throw that line out have no idea what they’re talking about,” White House chief of staff William Daley said.

The administration has said that all options are on the table but that any military action must be an international effort. Pentagon chief Robert Gates cautioned last week that an attack on Libya could drag the U.S. military into another conflict, even as nearly 150,000 troops continue to battle in Afghanistan and Iraq.

British Defense Minister Liam Fox on Sunday said that any talks about establishing a no-fly zone over Libya are at “the early stage of contingency planning.” Fox told BBC radio that more details will be discussed by NATO defense leaders at a meeting in Brussels later this week.