Iranian missile downed as it heads towards NATO member Turkey

Multi-national military alliance condemns ‘targeting’ of member state; Ankara warns it will take ‘all necessary steps’ to defend its territory

NATO air and missile defense systems stationed in the eastern Mediterranean destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Iran as it headed into Turkish airspace after passing Syria and Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The incident marked the first time that NATO member Turkey, Iran’s neighbor to the northwest, has been drawn into the expanding conflict between Iran and the US and Israel that now involves several countries in the region.

“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 defense assets stationed in the eastern Mediterranean and rendered inactive,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

“The munitions fragment that fell in the Dortyol district of Hatay province was identified as belonging to the air defense munitions that intercepted the threat after it was destroyed in the air,” the ministry said, adding there were no casualties.

“Any steps necessary to defend our territory and airspace will be taken decisively and without hesitation,” it added.

“We reiterate that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions directed at our country.”

“We warn all parties to refrain from actions that would lead to further escalation of conflict in the region. In this context, we will continue to consult with NATO and our other allies,” the ministry said.

Two other initial statements by senior Turkish officials about the incident did not mention NATO’s Article 4, which states that allies will “consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security” of a member is threatened.

After the incident, Turkey warned Tehran against any steps that could escalate the war, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan telling his Iranian counterpart in a phone call that “any steps that could lead to the spread of conflict should be avoided”, a ministry source said.

NATO condemned Iran’s “targeting” of member country Turkey.

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

“Our deterrence and defense posture remains strong across all domains, including when it comes to air and missile defense,” she added.

Iran has lashed out with missile and drone attacks at US-allied countries in the Middle East and at Israel in response to the US-Israeli air campaign that began over the weekend.

It has previously fired drones at a British base in Cyprus.

Britain, France and Germany — NATO member states — have all said that though they aren’t part of the strikes on Iran, they were prepared to take defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones.

Britain has allowed the US to use its bases to stage attacks on Iran, and France on Tuesday ordered its nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during the war.