Barely an hour later, Türkiye’s defence ministry confirmed another ballistic missile fired from Iran had been intercepted in Turkish airspace by NATO defence systems in the second such incident in five days.
“A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets in the eastern Mediterranean,” it said in a statement.
Some fragments from the weaponry fell in open territory in the Gaziantep area, about 200km east of Adana, causing no injuries, the ministry added.
Incirlik air base is an important NATO facility that has been used by US troops for decades which is located just 10km outside Adana.
In a post on X, presidential communications chief Burhanettin Duran said Türkiye would not hesitate to protect its airspace and border security.
“We once again strongly reiterate our warning to all parties, particularly Iran, to refrain from actions that could endanger regional security and put civilians at risk,” he wrote.
On Mar 4, NATO troops intercepted a Türkiye-bound ballistic missile launched from Iran, prompting the alliance to strengthen its “ballistic missile defence posture” as Iran steps up its strikes across the region.
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said the missile was spotted by Spanish troops manning a Patriot missile battery, who are based at Incirlik.
They had “detected and reported the missile attack”, though they were not the ones that shot it down, she said.
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