"Necessary measures are being taken for the security of our borders and airspace, and consultations are being held with NATO and our allies. In addition to the measures we have taken at the national level, NATO has strengthened its air and missile defence measures," a defence ministry statement said.

"Within this scope, a Patriot system assigned to support the protection of our airspace is being deployed in Malatya."

Located in central Turkey, Malatya is known as the location of the Kurecik air base, a key facility manned by US troops which houses a NATO early-warning radar system that can detect Iranian missile launches.

Although Ankara has categorically denied that the radar data has ever been used to help Israel, its presence has rattled Tehran.

The deployment came a day after NATO shot down a second missile from Iran, prompting Washington to shut down its consulate in the southern city of Adana and urge all American citizens to leave southeastern Turkey.

Besides Kurecik, US troops are also stationed at the Incirlik air base, another key NATO facility just 10 kilometres (six miles) outside Adana.

Kurecik lies some 350 kilometres further to the north east.

Since the US-Israeli war against Iran started, Tehran has launched strikes across the Middle East. Aside from the two interceptions over the course of five days, Turkey appears to have been spared.

After the first ballistic missile was shot down in Turkish airspace on March 4, NATO said it had strengthened its "alliance-wide ballistic missile defence posture", but did not give any details for operational security reasons.

The Incirlik and Kurecik bases are a deeply sensitive issue for Turkey, with police arresting three journalists for "national security offences" over footage filmed near Incirlik just hours after the Iran strikes began.