Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye
There are no victims. The Turkish Ministry of Defense did not say what the target of the Iranian missile would be, but the trajectory of the projectile is compatible with a shot from western Iran towards Incirlik Air Base. Ankara says it is ready to defend itself “without hesitation”.
NATO air defenses in Turkey intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile over the Eastern Mediterranean this Wednesday, with debris from the anti-aircraft ammunition falling in the south of the country without causing any casualties, the Turkish Government reported.
According to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the missile was fired from Iran and crossed Iraq and Syria before heading towards Turkish airspace, having been neutralized by NATO air and anti-missile defense systems stationed in the region. A fragment of the projectile fell in the municipality of Dortyol, in the Mediterranean province of Hatay, the ministry added.
Iran’s neighbor, which had sought to mediate negotiations between the US and Iran before the air war that began over the weekend, warned “all parties to refrain from actions that would lead to further escalation”, suggesting it was not prepared to ask for support from the transatlantic defense bloc.
Despite this, the incident could make Turkey invoke NATO Article 4 (which establishes that member countries will consult each other whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened) after the airspace violation if the threat was considered sufficiently serious, a measure that could lead to the alliancewhich would force allies to come to his defense, Reuters points out.
The Atlantic Alliance has already reacted, condemning the launch of the Iranian missile intercepted in Turkish airspace.
“NATO stands firmly in solidarity with all its allies, including Turkey, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region,” said NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart.
This was the first incident recorded on Turkish territory, a NATO member country, since the beginning of air strikes launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on Saturday.
O Turkish Defense Ministry did not say what the target of the Iranian missile would bebut the trajectory of the projectile is compatible with a shot from western Iran towards the Incirlik Air Base, near Adana, in southern Turkey, according to the Spanish agency EFE.
“Any necessary measures to defend our territory and airspace will be taken decisively and without hesitation“, stated the Ministry, cited by Reuters, reiterating that Turkey “reserves the right to respond to any hostile actions directed at our country.”
The Incirlik base is one of the main support points for NATO forces in the country and also houses US military units.
On Monday, the Turkish presidency had denied rumors spread on social media about an alleged Iranian attack on the Incirlik base, stressing that Turkey is not part of the ongoing conflict with Iran.
