The missiles struck northern Syria, NATO said.

"The use of such indiscriminate weapons shows utter disregard for the lives of the Syrian people," NATO said in a statement. "It is reckless and we condemn it."

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday that Patriot missile batteries recently moved to Turkey's border with Syria to repel any such missiles would stay there only as long as there is a threat, the semi-official Anadolu News Agency reported.

Davutoglu was responding to questions from members at an Istanbul Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Davutoglu added that the number of Syrian refugees inside Turkey has reached 152,000 and vowed to "stand by Syrians who are being oppressed."

The crisis started in March 2011, when peaceful protesters demanding democracy and reforms were met by a fierce government crackdown, which spiraled into an armed opposition movement and a civil war.

At least 46 people -- three of them women -- were killed Thursday, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.

The toll is lower than it has been in recent days, perhaps because cold weather and snow has descended on much of the region.

In response to the weather, the Turkish Red Crescent Society on Thursday sent nearly 625 tons of flour to Syrians who face a shortage of bread.