(CNN) -- Turkey is changing its military rules of engagement and will now treat a military approach toward its borders by Syria as a potential threat that "will be dealt with accordingly," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. The announcement is a significant escalation of rhetoric after Syria shot down a Turkish plane last week. Erdogan criticized Syria harshly on Tuesday for shooting down the Turkish fighter jet, saying: "Even if the plane was in their airspace for a few seconds, that is no excuse to attack." "It was clear that this plane was not an aggressive plane. Still it was shot down," he said.
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Turkey will consider any military approach from Syria a potential threat, its PM says
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Turkish-Syrian ties have deteriorated during the uprising
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The countries had sharp tensions in the 1990s over Kurdish militancy
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NATO condemns the shooting down of the plane, but does not act
NATO
NATO did not promise any action in response to the incident, and Turkey did not invoke the @placeholder article calling for collective defense of members, Rasmussen said.