By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay
ANKARA, March 13 (Reuters) – NATO air defences in the eastern Mediterranean have shot down a third ballistic missile that was fired from Iran towards Turkey, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Friday, adding that it was asking Tehran for clarification.
NATO air defences shot down the first Iranian ballistic missile fired at Turkey on March 4, followed by the shooting down of a second Iranian missile on March 9. The ministry has said the first incoming missile was downed en route to Turkish airspace, while the second entered it.
Turkey has not disclosed the target of the third missile, saying only it was “entering” Turkish airspace, but an explosion was heard and windows were shaken overnight near the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey’s Adana province, according to a Reuters witness and social media footage verified by Reuters.
U.S. air forces, along with personnel from Turkey and other countries, are stationed at Incirlik. Ankara says Washington has not used the Turkish base in its air assault, alongside Israel, on Iran.
TURKEY SAYS IT DOES NOT WANT TO BE DRAGGED INTO WAR
The missiles increasingly pose a test for NATO member Ankara and the alliance.
Turkey, NATO’s second-largest army and Iran’s neighbour, has warned Tehran against any more attacks. It also protested to Tehran after every incident, while saying it does not want to be dragged into the war between Iran, Israel, and the U.S.
“All necessary measures are being taken decisively and without hesitation against any threat directed at our country’s territory and airspace. Consultations are being conducted with the relevant country to clarify all aspects of the incident,” the ministry said in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from Iran, but it has so far repeatedly rejected deliberately targeting Turkey amid its war with the United States and Israel.
A Turkish security source said there had been no casualties in the incident and there were no reports of any debris falling from the interception.
TURKEY RELIES ON NATO AIR DEFENCES
Turkey, an emerging leader in the global defence industry, lacks its own fully-fledged air defences despite development efforts, and has relied on NATO air defences stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea against the Iranian missiles.
The Kurecik NATO radar base, to the northeast of Incirlik in the southeastern province of Malatya, provides vital protection for the alliance, including the detection of missiles fired towards Turkey.
Fragments of the previous missile fired from Iran had fallen in a region between the two bases.
Turkey’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that the Russian S-400 air defence systems it acquired in 2019 were not used, as NATO’s integrated defences were quicker and more effective.
Following the incidents, NATO has beefed up its ballistic missile defences in the region and deployed a U.S. Patriot air defence system to increase defence at the Kurecik base.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler, William Maclean and Sharon Singleton)
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