NATO Intercepts Iran Missile Over Turkey as Conflict Spreads

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization intercepted a ballistic missile from Iran that entered Turkish airspace, Ankara said, raising the risk that the military alliance could be drawn more directly into the war in the Middle East.

The interception over the southeast of the country was the second such incident in less than a week. Turkey warned it had the right to respond after the initial incursion on March 4, though Iran denied targeting the nation.

“A ballistic munition fired from Iran that entered Turkish airspace has been neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean,” the Turkish defense ministry said in a statement.

In a speech on Monday evening, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Iran of “wrong and provocative steps” that could dampen ties between the two countries. Turkey’s coordinating further steps with its NATO allies to ensure its security, he said.

Jane Harman, former top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, says the degradation of Iran's military by US and Israeli attacks is a positive outcome of the war, but the sidelining of Congress in the conflict is detrimental to the US. Debris from the munition landed in Gaziantep province in southern Turkey, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the Incirlik Air Base — where hundreds of US military personnel are stationed and US nuclear weapons are widely believed to be stored.

An advanced NATO radar system in Kurecik, used to support anti-ballistic missile systems, is about 200 km away.

The first interception also occurred in an area not far from Incirlik Air Base.

“We reiterate that all necessary steps will be taken decisively and without hesitation against any threat directed at our country’s territory and airspace,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said. “We remind all parties that adhering to Turkey’s warnings in this regard is in everyone’s interest.”

Earlier on Monday, the US State Department issued a travel warning to southeast Turkey, including Gaziantep, on risk of terrorism and armed conflict. It also suspended its consular services in Adana, where the Incirlik air base is located.

Ankara, which does not allow its bases or airspace to be used for strikes on Iran, has called for diplomatic efforts to diffuse the tensions.

Turkey and Iran have a complex relationship. While the two countries maintain trade ties — including shipments of Iranian natural gas to Turkey — they view each other as regional rivals. They have backed opposing sides in conflicts such as the Syrian civil war and pursued differing strategic goals across the Middle East, leading to periodic diplomatic friction despite official commitments to non-interference and cordial neighborly relations.

Iranian officials warned more than a decade ago that Tehran could target NATO’s missile-defense installations in Turkey should it come under attack from the US or Israel.

At the time, Tehran said that the early-warning radar system in Kurecik was designed to help protect Israel against Iranian missile threats. The site, roughly 700 km (435 miles) west of the Turkey-Iran border, is a cr

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