NATO agreed Tuesday to send new American-made air defenses to Turkey's volatile southern border with Syria, a boost to an alliance member on the front lines of the civil war and a potential backstop for wider U.S. or NATO air operations if Syria deteriorates further.
The military alliance's approval of Patriot antimissile batteries represents NATO's first significant military involvement in the 20-month-long crisis, even if it falls well short of rebel demands for help.
NATO and U.S. officials insisted that the system is entirely devoted to defending Turkey and is not a precursor to military intervention in Syria. The Patriots would provide no protection for Syrian civilians or rebels fighting to unseat President Bashar Assad.