Turkey’s Defence Ministry confirmed on Friday that a ballistic missile originating from Iran was successfully shot down by NATO air and missile defence systems after entering Turkish airspace, marking the third such interception since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict.
“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 in a statement.
Earlier, sirens sounded at the strategic Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey, a key NATO facility hosting US, Spanish, and Polish forces, according to state news agency Anadolu. Alerts were also reported in Batman, approximately 600 kilometres (370 miles) to the east, near a military drone base.
This follows similar incidents on March 4 and Monday, when NATO forces intercepted two other Iranian missiles. Monday’s event prompted the United States to temporarily close its consulate in Adana and urge all citizens to leave southeastern Turkey.
Residents in Adana, adjacent to Incirlik, reported seeing a fast-moving, flaming object in the early hours, while alarms in Batman sounded around 4:00 am local time.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied that the missile originated from Iran during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Iincirlik remains a vital NATO installation, and US troops also operate from Kurecik in central Malatya, where an early-warning radar system plays a critical role in NATO’s missile defence shield capable of detecting Iranian launches. Ankara has consistently rejected claims that radar data has been shared with Israel, a presence that has nevertheless heightened tensions with Tehran.
On Tuesday, Turkey announced the deployment of a Patriot missile defence system in Malatya, following NATO’s recent move to strengthen its alliance-wide ballistic missile defence posture.
The repeated missile incidents underscore growing regional volatility and the heightened stakes for NATO forces stationed in Turkey.
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