[link to bostonglobe.com]

BRUSSELS — NATO’s plan to buttress Turkey against potential attack from Syria calls for deploying US, German, and Dutch Patriot missile-defense batteries under the operational control of the alliance’s military command, Western officials said Monday.

The plan, which is expected to be endorsed by NATO’s foreign ministers when they meet in Brussels on Tuesday, would be the most direct action in the Syrian conflict yet by an alliance that has remained cautious about intervention there.

The move has been given added impetus by reports in recent days of increased activity at some of Syria’s chemical weapons sites, officials said. For months, Turkey has expressed growing concerns about the potential of missile attacks from Syria as relations between the two countries have worsened, and last month it requested the deployment of Patriot batteries.

A senior NATO official said the political strategy was for the alliance to declare its support for Turkey’s request for help in strengthening its air defenses, and to welcome the intention of the three allied nations that have Patriot missile batteries to deploy the systems in Turkey.