The NATO air defense systems have today shot down an Iranian missile that entered Turkish airspace, in the third incident of this kind since this regional conflict began. The ballistic missile was intercepted while flying over the province of Adana, in southern Turkey, where the Incirlik airbase is located, hosting US troops and a Spanish contingent with a deployed Patriot battery.
Spanish Ministry of Defense sources told EL MUNDO that the Spanish battery contributed to the detection and tracking of the missile that entered Turkish airspace.
Local media this morning reported several videos from different points in the province of Adana, where alert sirens can be heard, supposedly coming from the Incirlik airbase. One of the videos shows a projectile flying through the night sky near the military base.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated in a release that the missile was shot down by the Alliance systems "deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean" and that the country continues to take "all necessary measures decisively and without hesitation" against potential threats to its territory. Ankara declared that it is in contact with Iran to "clarify all aspects of the incident."
This is the third Iranian ballistic missile intercepted in Turkey since the start of the conflict triggered by the US and Israel attacks against the Persian nation. On March 4, NATO shot down a missile that entered Turkish airspace after crossing Iraq and Syria. A second projectile was intercepted last Monday in the Turkish province of Gaziantep, about 165 kilometers from the Incirlik airbase. Following the incident, the US evacuated its personnel from the consulate in Adana.
This third interception so close to the airbase where NATO forces are deployed shows the increasing challenge facing the Alliance, which deployed a second Patriot battery this week in the southern province of Malatya, where the coalition's main radar installation is located.
Turkey asserts that it has not allowed the US to use its military facilities for attacks against Iran. However, Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Jamenei, warned yesterday that all military bases in the region have become targets for Tehran and encouraged neighboring governments to close such facilities.
Iran has not commented on this latest incident, but the country's president, the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, denied days ago that the missiles entering Turkish airspace were of Iranian origin. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned in a call with Pezeshkian that sending missiles "cannot be justified under any circumstances" and that "Turkey will continue to take necessary measures in this regard." Ankara condemned the "illegal intervention" against Iran but warned that attacking "brotherly countries benefits no one."