“We should also carefully and collectively consider how NATO is prepared to respond to protect its members from a Syrian threat, including any potential chemical weapons threat,” he said during the first NATO foreign ministers meeting.

It was the first time Israel had accused the embattled Syrian leader of using his stockpile of chemical weapons.

Despite the deteriorating situation, NATO says there is no chance the alliance will intervene in the civil war.

It has, though, sent Patriot missile batteries to neighboring Turkey to help defend the NATO member against possible missile attack from Syria.

“Since we last met in December, the situation in Syria has dramatically deteriorated. We are extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation and the daily suffering of the Syrian people. We are extremely concerned about the risk of a regional spill-over. Our Ally Turkey has faced cross-border incidents and massive refugee flows. And we are extremely concerned about the use of ballistic missiles in Syria and the possible use of chemical weapons,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

“There is no call for NATO to play a role. But if these challenges remain unaddressed, they could directly affect our own security. So we will continue to remain extremely vigilant.”

More than 70,000 people have died in the conflict, according to the United Nations.

The violence also has forced more than 1 million Syrians to seek safety abroad, burdening neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq.

“We have all necessary plans in place to protect and defend Turkey if necessary,” Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters before a meeting of the alliance’s defence ministers in Brussels.

Rasmussen applauded the Turkish government for its restraint, saying he hoped the parties would avoid an escalation of the crisis.

“Obviously Turkey has a right to defend herself within international law,” he said.

The two neighbours have repeatedly exchanged fire since last week, after Syrian shells struck a border town in Turkey killing five civilians.

The incident has been the most serious outbreak of cross-border violence since Syria’s uprising against President Bashar al-Assad erupted 18 months ago.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, in addressing parliament on the issue on Tuesday, said that his country does not want war, but that Turkey needs to be prepared for anything

Meanwhile, Turkey has confirmed it is deploying more fighter jets to an airbase close to the border with Syria, amid artillery exchanges along its tense southeastern border with Syria.

Rebels have taken control of the strategic town of Maarat al-Nuaman, which lies on the main north-south highway in the northern province of Idlib, after a 48-hour battle with soldiers, according to rebels and activists.

At the same time, rebel suicide bombers struck overnight at an Air Force Intelligence compound on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, killing at least 100 people, activists said on Tuesday.

The militant Islamist group al-Nusra Front said it had mounted the attack because it was used a centre for torture and repression in the crackdown on the 18-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, Reuters reports.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the violence, said 90 people had been killed so far on Tuesday, including 29 soldiers, compared to a death toll of 210 on Monday, Al Jazeera writes.

“We consider this act to be unacceptable and condemn it in the strongest terms. It is another example of the Syrian authorities’ disregard for international norms, peace and security, and human life,” Rasmussen said.

The North Atlantic Council met on Tuesday at Turkey’s request to hold consultations within the framework of Article 4 of the Washington Treaty which states that “the Parties will consult whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”

The North Atlantic Council discussed the shooting down of a Turkish aircraft by Syria.

“Our thoughts at this difficult time are with the missing Turkish aircrew, their families and their loved ones,” Rasmussen added in a statement.

Meanwhile, President Abdullah Gul said today the shooting down of an unarmed Turkish plane by Syria shows the level of paranoia that has gripped the country’s armed forces, according to Hurriyet daily news. 

Gül spoke during the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) summit in Istanbul, where he said Turkey would not tolerate the downing of its plane by Syria.

Syria shot down a Turkish military jet on June 22, escalating tensions between the two countries.

On the other hand, Syria insists that the Turkish aircraft violated its airspace on Friday.

But Turkey says that although the  jet had violated  Syria’s airspace, it was in international airspace when it was shot down.

Erdogan said Syria shot down the unarmed plane in international airspace in a “hostile” act and without warning.

He said border violations in the region were not uncommon, and claimed that Syrian helicopters violated Turkish airspace five times recently, without Turkish response, according to Al Jazeera. 

The US president warned of “hard days ahead” at a NATO summit in Chicago dominated by the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, CNN reported.

“The loss of life continues in Afghanistan and there will be hard days ahead,” Obama stated.

The aim of the NATO summit is to complete a transition process that will bring the war to an end of 2014 and put Afghans in the lead for their own security.

More than 50 leaders are attending the meeting, including heads of state and government from the 28 NATO countries.

Demonstrators clashed with a line of police who tried to keep them away from where the meeting was being held. The march, estimated by police to number 2,500 to 3,000 people, was led by a group of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who symbolically gave back their military medals, Al Jazeera reported.

The new French President, Francois Hollande, has promised to pull out the country’s forces by the end of this year, two years before the alliance’s timetable, showing division in talks.

But NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed confidence the alliance would “maintain solidarity” despite France’s decision. ”There will be no rush for the exits,” he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists, “We went into Afghanistan together, we want to leave Afghhanistan together,” showing the tension of the talks, Al Arabiya reported.

Karzai notted that it was important to complete the security transition and withdrawal of foreign combat troops from Afghanistan that the summit will ratify.

In discussions with Mr. Dimas the issue of Skopje fell on the table, where Mr. Rasmussen reiterated his firm position that the Alliance before joining the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in NATO should resolve the name issue. They also discussed the Greek contribution in Afghanistan, where Greece reiterated that although it will reduce its assistance to ISAF it will keep its trainers for the Afghan army according to tovima. The Minister of National Defence did not omit to discuss the Greek positions on the new NATO military structure, and to discuss with him the assistance of Greece in peacekeeping operations.

The NATO Secretary General, who also met with Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, praised Greece’s participation in NATO operations, with special emphasis on Libya. For NATO, the way forward is Smart Defence Mr. Rasmussen emphasized; a key topic for study in view of the NATO Summit in Chicago in May. “I would expect the NATO Summit in Chicago to make important decisions on enhancement of our partnerships with countries in North Africa and the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring.” That would be in the interest of Greece, but it would also be in the interest of the whole of Europe and the Euro-Atlantic area, he added.

The Secretary General also addressed a conference organized by the Greek think-tank Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).In his speech, he referred to the difficult economic situation and the challenges to be faced by Greece,  while praising the historical contribution of Greece to NATO missions, and expressed confidence that Greece will continue to be active and present in them.