Turkey's request to NATO for Patriot missiles is "a new act of provocation," Syrian state television quoted a foreign ministry official it did not name as saying on Friday.
Turkey turned to its NATO partners earlier this week to request the deployment of surface-to-air Patriot missiles to protect its troubled border with Syria.
In its first reaction to Turkey's request, the Syrian foreign ministry accused Ankara of causing "tension and destruction." "Syria holds (Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip) Erdogan responsible for the militarisation of the situation at the border between Syria and Turkey, and the increase of tension and destruction to the detriment of the Syrian and Turkish peoples," the official said.
