BRUSSELS: NATO on Tuesday approved member Turkey's request for Patriot missiles to defend its border against Syria following a series of blunt warnings to Damascus not to use chemical weapons.
"NATO has agreed to augment Turkey's air defence capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey and to contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the alliance's border," a NATO statement said.
NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the decision reflected a "steadfast commitment" to preserving the security of member states.
"We say to anyone who would want to attack Turkey -- don't even think about it," he remarked, announcing the decision taken by the 28-member alliance after the first day of a two-day meeting in Brussels.
Germany, the Netherlands and the United States have agreed to provide the Patriot missile batteries, which would come under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), the statement said.
Stressing that the Patriot system was purely defensive, Rasmussen said technical discussions would now follow about how many of the US-made Patriots would be deployed and where.
The NATO discussions came amid reports that Syria is moving chemical weapons as President Bashar al-Assad fights rebels seeking to oust him.
"NATO members expressed grave concerns about reports that the Syrian regime is considering the use of chemical weapons. Any such action would be completely unacceptable and a clear breach of international law," Rasmussen said.
Earlier he had joined US President Barack Obama in warning Assad against using chemical weapons, saying it "would be completely unacceptable to the whole international community and I would expect an immediate reaction from the international community."
Turkey welcomed NATO's decision, and reiterated that the weapons are solely for defensive purposes.
"The measures that will be taken by Turkey will in no case be used for offensive operations. This system is only slated for the defence of Turkish territory," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.
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