Turkey’s defence ministry confirmed on Friday that a ballistic missile launched from Iran was shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces, marking 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,” the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on Friday, sirens were reported at the southern Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility hosting U.S. troops, and in the city of Batman, approximately 600 kilometres east. Residents of Adana, near Incirlik, were woken at 3:25 a.m. by the alarms and several posted footage of a fast-moving object appearing on fire. Defence analysts suggested these could have been fragments of the intercepted missile or its interceptor, which would have burned up upon re-entry.
NATO air defences previously intercepted missiles from Iran on March 4th and March 9th, making this the third confirmed engagement. Several personnel were wounded during the alerts, though authorities confirmed no life-threatening injuries.
The repeated missile launches follow the rise of Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reported by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be wounded and likely disfigured, raising questions about his ability to govern amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Hegseth emphasized that the United States will continue pressing Iran’s military capabilities, stating “no quarter, no mercy for our enemy,” while additional U.S. troops and warships are being deployed to the region.
