ANKARA
\nTurkiye said that NATO air defenses destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Iran as it headed into Turkish airspace on Wednesday, marking the first time the alliance member has been drawn into the expanding Middle East conflict.
\nIt was unclear where the missile was headed, but a NATO spokesperson said the trans-Atlantic defense bloc condemned Iran\u2019s targeting of Turkiye and that it stood firmly with all allies.
\nThe Turkish defense ministry said the missile had passed over Iraq and Syria before it was downed by NATO air and missile defense systems stationed in the eastern Mediterranean.
\nThere was no immediate comment from the United States, which has air forces stationed at Incirlik base in Turkiye\u2019s south.
\nThe base is in a province bordering Hatay province, where Turkish authorities said debris from the intercepting NATO missile had fallen.
\n\u201cWe warn all parties to refrain from actions that would lead to further escalation of conflict in the region. In this context, we will continue to consult with NATO and our other allies,\u201d the defense ministry said, adding there were no casualties or injuries.
\n\u201cAll necessary steps to defend our territory and airspace will be taken resolutely and without hesitation. We remind all parties that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions against our country,\u201d it added.
\nTwo other initial statements by senior Turkish officials about the incident did not mention NATO\u2019s Article 4, which states that allies will \u201cconsult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity.<\/p>\n
political independence or security\u201d of a member is threatened.
\nTurkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan conveyed a protest to Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in a call after the incident, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
\nAnkara sought to mediate talks between Iran and the United States in the weeks before the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, triggering missile and drone attacks by Tehran. Several countries in the Gulf and elsewhere have been caught in the fallout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ANKARA Turkiye said that NATO air defenses destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Iran as it headed into Turkish airspace on Wednesday, marking the first time the alliance member has been drawn into the expanding Middle East conflict. It was unclear where the missile was headed, but a NATO spokesperson said the trans-Atlantic defense bloc […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":534919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-534899","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n