Of course, other NATO members could disagree that Syria has in fact attacked Turkey, but if Turkey were to invoke Article 5, a refusal to offer assistance could have unpleasant consequences for the alliance as a whole. And Assad knows full well that it will be impossible to avoid further border incidents unless he is prepared to allow the Free Syrian Army to use Turkey as a safe zone.
北约条约第五条规定，对某一成员国的攻击视为对北约全体的攻击，所有成员国都会出手相助。当然，其他北约成员国可以拒绝承认叙利亚真的袭击了土耳其，但如果土耳其诉诸第五条，拒绝出手相助将对整个联盟产生不利后果。而巴沙尔也心知肚明，除非他放任自由叙利亚军利用土耳其作为安全区，否则边境事件将是不可避免的。