Turkey's state-run news agency says 33 more members of the Syrian military have defected to Turkey with their families at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries over Syria's downing of a Turkish plane.

Anadolu said on Monday that the group, which includes a general and two colonels, crossed into Turkey overnight and that they were being hosted at a refugee camp near the border.

The defection brought to 13 the number of generals seeking refuge in Turkey since the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime erupted 16 months ago.

Thousands of soldiers have abandoned the army, but most are low-level conscripts.

The Free Syria Army, the loosely linked group of rebel forces, is made up largely of defectors.

Turkey, once a close ally of Syria, summoned an emergency NATO meeting for Tuesday after accusing Damascus of shooting down one of its military planes in international airspace.

The Dutch foreign minister on Monday said that the European Union will condemn Syria's downing of a Turkish jet, but will not support military intervention in the troubled country.

"What happened is to be considered very seriously [but] we do not go for any interventions," Uri Rosenthal said.