Turkey says missile launched from Iran destroyed by NATO

A ballistic missile launched from Iran and heading towards Turkish airspace via Iraq and Syria was destroyed by NATO air defence systems, Turkish officials said on Wednesday.

Turkey’s defence ministry said the missile had been “engaged and neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean”.

It did not specify the missile’s intended target. Iran has been striking sites across the region in retaliation after the United States and Israel launched attacks against it on Saturday.

A Turkish official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the missile had been “aimed at a base in Greek Cyprus but veered off course ”.

Officials said fragments that fell in the Dörtyol district in southern Turkey, near the Syrian border, had been identified as parts of the interceptor used to neutralise “the threat in the air”.

No casualties were reported.

The incident prompted condemnation from NATO.

“NATO stands firmly with all allies, including Turkiye, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region,” NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said, using Turkey’s official name.

“Our deterrence and defence posture remains strong across all domains, including in air and missile defence.”

Ankara summoned the Iranian ambassador to convey its “reaction and concerns” over the incident, while Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned Tehran against taking steps that could widen the conflict, a diplomatic source said.

Fidan told his Iranian counterpart during a phone call that “any steps that could lead to the spread of conflict should be avoided”, the source added.

### ‘Wrong strategy’

In an evening address, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey was “taking all the necessary precautions” in consultation with its NATO allies and issuing “warnings in the clearest terms to prevent similar incidents from happening again”.

“If we, as a nation, want to live in peace and tranquillity… 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.

Turkey, a majority Sunni Muslim NATO member, shares a 500-kilometre (315-mile) border with Iran.

Erdoğan has described the US–Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered the conflict as “illegal”, while Fidan also criticised Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Gulf states and other regional targets, calling them the “wrong strategy”.

“The underlying strategy seems to be: ‘If I am going to sink, I will take the region down with me,’” Fidan said in an interview late Tuesday.

Analysts said the trajectory of the Iranian missile and its interception by NATO systems raised concerns about a broader regional war, even though there was no clear evidence that Iran intended to strike Turkey.

“Turkey will not want to become embroiled in the US–Israel attack on Iran, which it has criticised. But if Iran launches more missiles clearly aimed at targets on Turkish territory, Ankara will consider direct retaliation,” said Hamish Kinnear of the risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft.

Turkey’s defence ministry said, "Any steps necessary to defend our territory and airspace will be taken decisively and without hesitation.”

“We reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions directed at our country,” it added.