( CNN ) -- In an escalation of its civil war , Syria is firing more Scud missiles in a desperate attempt to quash rebel gains , the NATO chief said Friday . The government has launched more missiles in recent days , according to Anders Fogh Rasmussen , the secretary-general of the alliance . Read more : Syrian fight now `` overtly sectarian , '' U.N. says . `` I can confirm that we have detected the launch of Scud-type missiles , '' he said . `` I consider it an act of a desperate regime approaching collapse . '' Though the missiles have not hit Turkey , he said , the development highlights the need for a protection plan for the neighboring nation . A Turkish Foreign Ministry official told CNN on Friday that some Scuds had been fired from Damascus toward Aleppo early Thursday . `` As far as I know , ( there were ) four , ( landing ) around Aleppo and/or close to our border , but not in Turkey , '' said the official , who spoke on condition that he not be named because he is not authorized to speak on the record for military matters . A NATO official told CNN that Syria had fired about half a dozen Scud-B missiles in the northern part of the country , one of which landed just 20 miles from the Turkish border . The preliminary assessment is the Scud launches were aimed at rebel munitions storage sites , said the official , who has direct knowledge of the latest intelligence but declined to be identified because of its sensitivity . Read more : U.N. announces $ 1.5 billion aid effort for refugees . Intelligence analysts believe the Syrian government now uses Scuds when the weather is bad and aircraft can not launch ground attacks . This is the first acknowledgment of new Scud launches since an initial volley was confirmed by U.S. officials earlier this month . Using U.S. satellite imagery , along with U.S. and NATO radars and electronic signals intelligence , the United States and NATO can establish where the missiles were launched and where they landed . The official declined to offer specifics on the launch and aim points of the latest attacks , because of the sensitive nature of the information . But he said there was no indication the latest round of Scuds were armed with chemical munitions . He did not know if there were any casualties , as all the missiles landed inside Syria . The move is an escalation on the war , which has threatened to draw in neighboring countries and militant groups . Analysts say the government of President Bashar al-Assad maintains up to 400 of the short- and medium-range Russian-developed Scud missiles . Read more : Syrian refugees on run : `` I want people to feel our pain '' NATO is in the final stages of preparing for a deployment of Patriot missiles from the United States , Germany and the Netherlands to Turkey for defense against Syrian Scuds that might threaten its neighbor . Final site surveys are under way , and the deployment of six Patriot batteries in Turkey is expected to be completed by the end of January . The Syrian civil war started in March 2011 when a government crackdown on civilian demonstrators morphed into a fight between the regime and rebels . More than 40,000 people are estimated to have died in nearly two years of conflict . At least 148 people were killed across Syria Friday , according to the Local Coordination Committee in Syria , a Syria-based opposition activist network . CNN 's Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report .
NEW : One missile landed only 20 miles from the Turkish border , a NATO official says . NATO chief describes Syria 's launch of the missiles as `` an act of a desperate regime '' Development highlights the need for a protection plan for Turkey , NATO says . Scud missiles were fired from Damascus toward Aleppo , a Turkish official says .