Turkiye says NATO defenses intercepted Iran’s third missile | War between the United States and Israel against Iran News

The missiles increasingly represent a test for Turkiye, a NATO member and Iran’s neighbor, and for the alliance itself. Ankara has warned Tehran against further attacks.

NATO air defenses in the eastern Mediterranean have shot down a third ballistic missile that was fired from Iran toward Turkiye, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry, adding that it was asking Tehran for clarification, as the US-Israeli war against Iran resonates further west.

“A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean,” a ministry statement said on Friday.

NATO confirmed the latest development. “NATO remains vigilant and steadfast in its defense of all allies,” said NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart.

NATO air defenses shot down the first Iranian ballistic missile fired at Turkiye on March 4, followed by the downing of a second Iranian missile on March 9.

The ministry has said the first incoming missile was shot down en route to Turkish airspace, while the second entered it.

The missiles increasingly represent a test for NATO member Ankara and the alliance. Ankara, NATO’s second-largest military and Iran’s neighbor, has warned Tehran against further attacks.

He also protested to Tehran after each incident, but has not suggested he wants to formally ask alliance members for protection.

“All necessary measures are being taken decisively and without hesitation against any threat directed at the territory and airspace of our country. Consultations are underway with the relevant country to clarify all aspects of the incident,” the ministry’s statement on Friday said.

There was no immediate comment from Iran on the latest incident, but it has so far repeatedly denied deliberately attacking Turkiye amid its war with the United States and Israel.

Before the ministry’s statement at noon on Friday, residents of the southern city of Adana, next to Incirlik, where an air base with US forces is based, were awakened by sirens at 3:25 a.m. (0025 GMT) and several posted images of a fast-moving object that appeared to be on fire, local media reported.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said that according to ministry sources, what was seen in images circulating on social media were fragments of a missile that had begun to burn in the atmosphere.

“These fragments fell to the ground and were photographed by Adana residents,” he added.

Following the incidents in Turkiye, NATO strengthened its ballistic missile defenses in the region and deployed a US Patriot air defense system to Turkey’s southeastern Malatya province to boost defense at the Kurecik radar base used by the alliance.

Incirlik is a major NATO facility used by U.S. troops for decades, but also houses military personnel from Spain and Poland, its website says.

U.S. troops are also stationed at Kurecik, a base in the central province of Malatya, where they operate an early warning radar system that NATO describes as a “key element” of its missile shield that can detect Iranian missile launches.

Although Ankara has categorically denied that radar data was used to help Israel, its presence has shaken Tehran.