NATO air defenses intercepted a missile fired from Iran and entering Turkey’s airspace on Friday, the Turkish defense ministry said in a statement.
It was the third such interception of an Iranian missile over Turkey in 10 days.
The defense ministry did not say where the missile was shot down. But residents near the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, which houses Turkish, U.S. and other NATO forces, reported hearing air raid sirens, followed by a loud boom at around 3:30 a.m. that rattled windows.
NATO officials did not respond to requests for comment on the interception. Iran did not comment.
A successful attack on Turkey, which has long maintained diplomatic and trade ties with Iran, could mark an escalation in the war because Turkey is a member of NATO and a strike on its territory could activate the alliance’s mutual defense clause.
Since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran, it has retaliated with attacks on U.S. partners around the region, and its leaders have called for attacks on U.S. military bases. Most of these attacks have hit oil-rich countries in the Persian Gulf.
Turkey has said it will not allow its airspace to be used in attacks on Iran. But that has not shielded it from Iranian missiles.
Western officials said the first missile shot down over Turkey, on March 4, had targeted the Incirlik base. In that case, Iran denied that it had fired at Turkey. A second missile was shot down on March 9.
On Monday, the State Department ordered the departure of U.S. diplomats and their families from Adana, a city in southern Turkey where the United States maintains a consulate. It also warned Americans not to travel to southeastern Turkey “due to risk of terrorism and armed conflict.”
On Tuesday, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said NATO had deployed a Patriot air defense system in the eastern Turkish city of Malatya to bolster the country’s protection. The Patriot is the United States’ most advanced ground-based missile defense system.
Zeki Akturk, a spokesman for the Turkish defense ministry, told journalists on Thursday that the Incirlik base houses Turkey’s F-16 fleet, as well as refueling aircraft and drones.
All of the base’s facilities belong to Turkey, he said, adding that military personnel from the U.S., Spain, Poland and Qatar are currently deployed there.
Lara Jakes contributed reporting from Rome.
Ben Hubbard is the Istanbul bureau chief, covering Turkey and the surrounding region.
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