Turkey said on Friday that a ballistic missile launched from Iran was intercepted in its airspace by NATO forces, marking the third such incident since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict.
In a statement, the Turkish defence ministry said the missile was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence systems operating in the eastern Mediterranean.
“A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean,” the ministry said.
Earlier, sirens sounded at Incirlik Air Base, a major NATO facility in southern Turkey where United States Armed Forces personnel are stationed, according to the state news agency Anadolu Agency.
Local media also reported warning sirens in Batman, about 600 kilometres east of the base.
Residents in the nearby city of Adana said they were awakened by sirens around 3:25 a.m., with some posting videos online showing a fast-moving fiery object in the sky.
According to defence news site SavunmaSanayiST, the objects seen could have been fragments of the intercepted missile or parts of the interceptor system burning up as they re-entered the atmosphere.
The incident follows two earlier interceptions by NATO forces on March 4 and earlier this week.
Turkey urges caution
Turkish security sources told local media that Ankara was not a party to the war and was acting cautiously to avoid being drawn into the conflict.
However, they warned that the country’s patience should not be interpreted as unlimited tolerance and said Turkey retained the capability to take “punitive” action if necessary.
Earlier this week, Turkey deployed a MIM-104 Patriot air defence system in central parts of the country to strengthen protection against missile threats.
Following Monday’s interception, the United States temporarily closed its consulate in Adana and advised American citizens to leave southeastern Turkey.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian later denied that the missile had been launched from Iran during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Since the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28, Tehran has carried out retaliatory strikes across parts of the Middle East.
Another key NATO installation in Turkey is the Kürecik Radar Base in Malatya Province, which hosts an early-warning radar system used to detect missile launches and forms part of NATO’s regional missile defence shield.
