NATO air defence systems stop Iranian missile heading toward Turkiye

NATO air defence systems intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Iran that was heading toward Turkish airspace on Wednesday, according to Turkiye’s Ministry of National Defence.

The missile travelled through Iraqi and Syrian airspace before being detected and targeted by NATO systems in the eastern Mediterranean.

In a statement, the ministry said: “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.”

Officials said there were no casualties or injuries. The ministry also warned that Turkiye reserves the right to respond to hostile actions while urging all sides to avoid escalating the conflict.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country is closely coordinating with NATO allies following the incident.

“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, according to Al Jazeera.