The Defense Ministry says the missile was destroyed as it approached Turkish airspace after crossing Iraq and Syria.
Published March 4, 2026
A ballistic missile fired from Iran and aimed at Turkish airspace after passing over Syria and Iraq has been destroyed by NATO air defense systems, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense says.
It was unclear where the missile was aimed.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“A ballistic munition launched from Iran, which was detected passing through Iraqi and Syrian airspace and heading towards Turkish airspace, was timely targeted by NATO air and missile defense assets stationed in the eastern Mediterranean and rendered inactive,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said there were no casualties or injuries, adding that Ankara reserves the right to respond to any hostile action against it, while warning the parties to refrain from escalating the conflict.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan conveyed Ankara’s protest over a ballistic missile fired from Iran and aimed at Turkish airspace in a call to his Iranian counterpart, the Reuters news agency reported.
During the call, Fidan also told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that any measures that could further widen the conflict should be avoided, Reuters added.
NATO condemned Iran’s attacks on Turkiye, spokeswoman Allison Hart said, adding that the organization “strongly supports all allies, including Turkiye.”
“Our deterrence and defense posture remains strong across the board, including with respect to air and missile defense,” Hart said.
Incirlik Air Base in Turkiye is used by foreign military forces, primarily the United States and other NATO allies. The base is under the control of the Turkish air force but operates as a joint Turkish-American air base.
Incirlik was a critical logistical and air support location for US-led operations in Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War and later as a cargo hub for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Turkiye denied US permission to use it in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but it was used heavily for attacks against ISIL (ISIS) starting in 2014.
Cyprus temporarily closes airspace
Separately on Wednesday, also in the eastern Mediterranean, authorities in Cyprus closed airspace over Larnaca after detecting what they said was a suspicious object.
On Sunday, an Iranian-made drone caused minor damage to a UK military base on the island. Two more drones were shot down on Monday.
“Two Greek planes took off on Wednesday to shoot down a suspected drone just outside Cyprus airspace,” Al Jazeera’s John Psaropoulos reported from the Cypriot city of Limassol.
“Greek frigates are also flying over the waters around Cyprus to help provide target coordinates for two pairs of F-16s sent here by Greece and which are supposed to operate in tandem.”
Psaropoulos said the security situation in the country remained tense even though there had been no strikes in recent days.
“The one on Sunday night was the only one, but as there were other drones heading towards Cyprus, it was deemed necessary to send all possible means here to ensure that those drones continue to be shot down on the high seas,” he said.
