Defence Ministry says missile destroyed as it approached Turkish airspace after crossing Iraq and Syria.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defence reported no casualties in the downing of the missile [File: Khalil Hamra/AP Photo]
A ballistic missile fired from Iran and heading into Turkish airspace after passing over Syria and Iraq has been destroyed by NATO air defence systems, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence says.
It was not clear where the missile was aimed.
“A ballistic munition launched from Iran, which was detected passing through Iraqi and Syrian airspace and heading towards Turkish airspace, was engaged in a timely manner by NATO air and missile defence assets stationed in the eastern Mediterranean and rendered inactive,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
It said there were no casualties or injuries, adding that Ankara reserves the right to respond to any hostile actions against it while warning parties to refrain from escalating the conflict
In an evening address to the nation, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country was “taking all the necessary precautions” in consultation with its NATO allies and was issuing “warnings in the clearest terms to prevent similar incidents from happening again”.
“If we, as a nation, want to live in peace and tranquility… we must constantly increase our deterrent capabilities. In these difficult times… we are leaving absolutely nothing to chance regarding the security of our borders and airspace,” he said.
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan conveyed in a call to his Iranian counterpart Ankara’s protest over a ballistic missile fired from Iran and heading towards Turkish airspace, the Reuters news agency reported.
During the call, Fidan also told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that any steps that could further widen the conflict must be avoided, Reuters added.
Iran has not yet commented on the incident.
NATO condemned Iran’s targeting of Turkiye, spokesperson Allison Hart said, adding that the organisation “stands firmly with all Allies, including Turkiye”.
“Our deterrence and defence posture remains strong across all domains, including when it comes to air and missile defence,” Hart said.
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that there was “no sense” that the destruction of the ballistic missile would trigger NATO’s Article 5 clause, which outlines that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all members.
Incirlik Air Base in Turkiye is used by foreign military forces, primarily the US and other NATO allies. The base is under the control of the Turkish air force but operates as a joint Turkish-US airbase.
Incirlik was a critical logistics and air support location for US-led operations in Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War and later as a cargo hub for Iraq and Afghanistan operations.
Turkiye denied the US permission to use it for the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, but it was heavily used for anti-ISIL (ISIS) strikes from 2014.
Cyprus temporarily closes airspace
Separately on Wednesday, also in the eastern Mediterranean, authorities in Cyprus closed the airspace above Larnaca after detecting what they said was a suspicious object.
On Sunday, an Iranian-made drone caused minor damage at a United Kingdom military base on the island. Another two drones were shot down on Monday.
“Two Greek jets 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 circling the waters around Cyprus to help provide targeting coordinates for two pairs of F-16s sent here by Greece that they’re supposed to operate in tandem.”
Psaropoulos said the security situation in the country remained tense despite no strikes having taken place in the past couple of days.
“The one on Sunday night was the only one, but because there have been other drones headed towards Cyprus, it has been deemed necessary to send all possible means here to make sure that those drones continue to be downed offshore,” he said.
