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NATO Air Defenses Shoot Down Iranian Missile Headed Toward Turkey
The Incirlik air base in southern Turkey hosts American forces but Turkey has said that it will not allow its airspace to be used for attacks on Iran.
Reporting from Istanbul
A ballistic missile fired from Iran was shot down by NATO air and missile defenses in the eastern Mediterranean while heading toward Turkish airspace, Turkey’s defense ministry said on Wednesday.
The missile had flown over Iraq and Syria, according to a ministry statement posted on social media. It did not say what the missile’s target was believed to be. Remnants of the ordinance that shot it down fell in Turkey’s south-central province of Hatay, near the border with Syria, injuring no one, the statement said.
Iran has launched missiles and drones at neighboring countries that host U.S. military facilities and personnel in retaliation for the American and Israeli air campaign against Tehran. Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base hosts a sizable United States Air Force contingent, but Turkey has said that it would not allow its airspace to be used for attacks on Iran.
An attack on Turkey, a NATO member that shares a 300-mile border with Iran, would mark a major escalation and could activate NATO’s mutual defense clause, potentially drawing the alliance’s 32 member states into the war.
In a statement, Allison Hart, a NATO spokeswoman, said the alliance condemned the targeting of Turkey.
“NATO stands firmly with all allies, including Turkey, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region,” the statement said. “Our deterrence and defense posture remains strong across all domains, including when it comes to air and missile defense.”
A strike on Turkey could also alter Turkey’s relationship with Iran. The two countries have longstanding diplomatic and trade relations, and Turkey was heavily involved in recent diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing the current war.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart about the missile and said that any action that could cause the conflict to spread should be avoided, Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Turkish defense ministry said it would consult with its NATO allies and protect the country from any attacks. “All necessary steps to defend our territory and airspace will be taken resolutely and without hesitation,” it said.
Ben Hubbard is the Istanbul bureau chief, covering Turkey and the surrounding region.
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