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NATO intercepts second Iran missile in Turkish airspace Ankara, March 9 (AFP) Mar 09, 2026 NATO said it shot down a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace on Monday, prompting a stern warning from Turkey to Tehran not to take "provocative steps". The Turkish and Iranian presidents spoke by telephone after the second such incident over NATO member Turkey in five days, according to Iranian media. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian offered to set up a joint inquiry. The missile was reported just after the United States urged all American citizens to leave southeastern Turkey, where US troops are stationed at several bases. Since the US-Israeli war against Iran started, Tehran has launched strikes across the Middle East. Turkey had appeared to have been spared, despite the presence of US troops, including at Incirlik airbase just outside the southern city of Adana. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the missile incident the country would "take the necessary measures to defend our nation". "Despite our sincere warnings, extremely wrong and provocative steps continue to be taken that will jeopardise Turkey's friendship," he said after a cabinet meeting. "Persistence and stubbornness in wrongdoing should be avoided." Iranian media said that in a call with Erdogan late Monday, Pezeshkian offered to set up a joint inquiry into "the allegations of countries and regimes hostile to Iran, in order to clear up the misunderstanding". Pezeshkian was quoted as saying that the United States and Israel wanted to "sow discord" between Iran and its neighbours. The call came after Turkey summoned the Iranian ambassador over the incident, foreign ministry sources said. It did the same on March 4 after NATO forces intercepted a first Turkey-bound ballistic missile launched from Iran.
Turkey's defence ministry later confirmed that a ballistic missile fired from Iran had been intercepted by NATO defence systems. "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. "NATO has again intercepted a missile heading to Turkiye. NATO stands firm in its readiness to defend all Allies against any threat," alliance spokeswoman Allison Hart said on X, using Turkey's official name. Incirlik air base is an important NATO facility that has been used by US troops for decades. Also Monday, Turkey deployed six F-16 fighter jets to Northern Cyprus as a security measure, days after the island was hit by a drone attack. Nicosia said the Iranian-made drone was probably fired by Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, and not from Iran.
"At around 11:30 am (0830 GMT), a fragment of ballistic munition fell onto an empty area above the TOKI housing estate," the Gaziantep governor's office said, adding there was no damage. "We were sitting at home when suddenly we heard a big bang. Since there's a construction site here, we thought the noise was coming from there. But when we came and looked, we saw the missile fragment," resident Ramazan Akpinar told DHA news agency. After the March 4 missile interception, NATO said it was strengthening its "ballistic missile defence posture". Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said the earlier missile had been spotted by Spanish troops manning a Patriot missile battery, who are based at Incirlik. They reported the attack though they were not the ones that shot it down, she said. bg-hmw/tw/smw |
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