By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense announced on Friday that NATO forces successfully intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran after it entered Turkish airspace. This marks the third such interception since the escalation of the Middle East conflict.
“A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean,” a ministry statement read.
The incident triggered air raid sirens at several locations in southeastern Turkey. According to state-run Anadolu Agency, alarms sounded at the strategically important Incirlik Airbase, a key NATO facility hosting US personnel. Local media further reported sirens in the city of Batman, located approximately 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of Incirlik.
The Ekonomim business news website reported that residents in Adana, a southern city adjacent to Incirlik, were awakened by sirens at 3:25 am local time (0025 GMT). Several residents captured footage of a fast-moving, illuminated object appearing to be on fire streaking across the sky.
Separately, sirens were heard in Batman around 4:00 am local time, with reports indicating the alarm originated near a military drone base adjacent to the city’s airport.
This is the third such event in recent weeks. NATO air defenses intercepted the first ballistic missile fired from Iran on March 4, followed by a second on Monday.
Monday’s interception prompted the United States to temporarily close its consulate in Adana and issue a security alert urging US citizens to depart southeastern Turkey.
Following the incident, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, denied that the missile had been launched from Iranian territory.
The series of launches is seen as retaliation by Tehran since the onset of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran on February 28.
Incirlik Airbase has been a crucial NATO facility for decades, housing not only US troops but also military personnel from Spain and Poland, according to the base’s website. The US also maintains a presence at Kurecik, a base in the central Malatya province. There, US personnel operate an early-warning radar system, described by NATO as a “key element” of its missile shield, capable of detecting launches from Iran.
While Ankara has consistently denied that radar data from the base has ever been shared with Israel, its presence has long been a point of contention with Tehran. The recent events have prompted further NATO action; on Tuesday, Turkey confirmed the deployment of a Patriot missile defense system in Malatya, following NATO’s move to bolster its “alliance-wide ballistic missile defence posture.”
