A ballistic missile launched from Iran entered Turkish airspace on Monday and was shot down by NATO defenses, the Turkish defense ministry said in a statement. It was the second time in six days that Turkey announced the interception of a missile from Iran.
Debris from the missile fell in the area of the city of Gaziantep, near Turkey’s southern border with Syria, the statement said. No injuries were reported. There was no immediate comment from Iran.
Allison Hart, a NATO spokeswoman, said the alliance had again intercepted a missile heading to Turkey. “NATO stands firm in its readiness to defend all Allies against any threat,” she said.
Last Wednesday, NATO shot down a missile from Iran, which a senior U.S. official and a second Western official said was aimed at the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, where the U.S. Air Force and other NATO forces operate. Turkey has said that it would not allow its airspace to be used for attacks on Iran. Iran denied that it had targeted Turkey.
An Iranian strike on Turkey would be a dramatic escalation in the war in Iran because Turkey, unlike U.S. partners in the Persian Gulf that Iran has targeted, is a member of NATO. An attack on Turkey could activate the alliance’s mutual defense provision, pulling other countries into the war.
Last week, after NATO shot down the first missile from Iran, Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general, told Reuters that Iran was “close to becoming a threat to Europe.” But he said the alliance did not need to activate its mutual defense clause.
Lara Jakes contributed reporting.
Ben Hubbard is the Istanbul bureau chief, covering Turkey and the surrounding region.
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