A second US Patriot battery is expected to become operational in the coming days as construction at its operational site in the southeastern province of Gaziantep nears completion.
Four Patriot batteries belonging to Germany and the Netherlands were activated last week in southern cities of Kahramanmaras and Adana.
The NATO military alliance approved a request by Turkey for the deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missiles in the border region on December 4, 2012, claiming that the move aims at protecting the country against any possible threat from Syria.
Damascus, however, insists that it will never attack any neighbor, calling the deployment an act of provocation. Iran, Russia, and China have also criticized the move, saying the missiles will only increase regional tensions.
Turkish people have held several protest demonstrations against the military plan.
The Syrian government has also censured the plan, calling it another act of provocation by the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The crisis in Syria began in mid-March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed so far.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in July 2012 that Turkey “has supplied all logistic support to the terrorists who have killed our people.”