TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - NATO air defense systems in the eastern Mediterranean destroyed a ballistic missile fired by Iran toward Turkish airspace on Wednesday, Turkish officials said, in what marks the first time Tehran has targeted NATO territory in the current conflict.
According to DW, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said the missile, which flew over Iraq and Syria, “was engaged in a timely manner … and rendered inactive.” There were no casualties.
“Any steps necessary to defend our territory and airspace will be taken decisively and without hesitation,” the ministry said.
In a separate statement, the ministry added: “It has been determined that the fragment of munition that fell in the Dörtyol district of Hatay province belongs to the air defense munition used in the interception following the destruction of the threat in the air. There were no fatalities or injuries in the incident.”
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart condemned the attack and reaffirmed the alliance’s support for Ankara.
“NATO stands firmly with all allies, including Turkiye, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region. Our deterrence and defence posture remains strong across all domains, including when it comes to air and missile defence,” Hart said.
The interception marks the first direct involvement of Turkey — a NATO member sharing a border with Iran — since the conflict escalated on Saturday when the United States and Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on Iran.
Tehran has since launched drones and missiles toward several countries across the Gulf, as well as Israel. According to Politico, Iran warned European countries on Tuesday that support for the US and Israel would be met with retaliation, after it fired weapons toward Cyprus earlier this week.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoan said Ankara would remain “cautious, prudent, and patient in order to ensure that not even a hair on the head of any one of our 86 million citizens is harmed.”
He also reiterated his call for diplomacy. “We do not wish to witness conflict, war, tension, and massacre right next door. Our stance on the illegal attacks targeting Iran is also in this direction,” Erdoan wrote on X.
He described the Iranian people as “brothers and sisters” and added, “Our priority is to secure a ceasefire and open the door to dialogue.”
Read: Prabowo Offers Condolences on Death of Iran's Ali Khamenei
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