BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The Lebanese military announced it set up a defensive front along its eastern border with Syria after shots were fired in the area.
Civil war in neighboring Syria has threatened national security in Lebanon. The Lebanese military said it sent tanks and troops to the eastern border after shots were fired "from the Syrian side of the border," reports Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star.
Some border crossings were closed this year. The Lebanese newspaper reports that shelling from the Syrian side of the border has killed Lebanese civilians and damaged infrastructure. Opposition leaders in the country have called on U.N. peacekeepers to help with security in the region.
The Lebanese response comes as NATO expressed its determination to help Turkey defend its borders against external threats from Syria.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Tuesday the alliance was deploying Patriot missiles along the border on Ankara's request.
"Turkey has asked for alliance support and we stand in full solidarity with Turkey," he said in a statement.
Rasmussen stressed there are no plans to implement a no-fly zone over Syrian airspace.
