The Turkish Army has communicated this Monday that NATO anti-aircraft defense systems have managed to shoot down a new missile fired from Iran that was crossing Turkey's airspace, the second similar episode in less than a week.
"Ballistic ammunition launched from Iran and which entered Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO's anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean," the Army indicated in a statement, in which it specifies that the remains of the intercepted projectile fell on an uninhabited area of Gaziantep province.
“There have been no victims or injured,” the Turkish authorities have confirmed, also stressing that the country attaches “great importance to good neighborly relations and regional stability.”
In a warning note, issued after this second incident since the beginning of Iran's retaliations for the large-scale offensive by the United States and Israel, Ankara stresses that "all necessary measures will be taken decisively and without hesitation against any threat directed at the national territory and airspace."
Along the same lines, the Turkish Government demands all involved parties “pay attention to Turkey's warnings”. The previous Wednesday, authorities had already reported the firing of a ballistic missile by Iran that was also destroyed by the Atlantic Alliance's air defense systems.
NATO, for its part, reiterated its support for Ankara in the face of Tehran's “indiscriminate attacks” in the region, in response to the military offensive launched by the United States and Israel on February 28. Following these events in the Middle East, the transatlantic organization has intensified its ballistic missile defense capabilities.