Ankara: Turkey said NATO air defenses on Wednesday destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile heading into Turkish airspace, marking the first time the alliance member has been drawn into a Middle East conflict and raising the possibility of a major expansion involving its bloc allies.
Turkey – Iran’s neighbor that tried to broker talks between the US and Iran before the air war that began at the weekend – warned “all parties to refrain from actions that would lead to further escalation” and indicated it was not ready to ask for support from the transatlantic defense bloc.
But Ankara could potentially invoke NATO’s Article 4 after the airspace violation if it deemed the threat serious enough, a move that could trigger the alliance’s Article 5, which would oblige members to defend themselves.
It was not clear where the rocket was headed. A NATO spokesman said it condemned Iran’s targeting of Turkey, which has the bloc’s second-largest military, and stood firmly with all allies.
US BASE IN NEIGHBORING PROVINCE
The US has air forces stationed at the southern Turkish base of Incirlik, which is located in an area bordering Hatay province, where officials say debris from a NATO interceptor missile fell.
Iran did not immediately comment on the incident.
Turkey’s defense ministry said the missile flew over Iraq and Syria before being shot down by NATO air and missile defense systems based in the eastern Mediterranean, adding that there were no casualties in the incident.
“All necessary steps to defend our territory and airspace will be taken…without hesitation. We remind all parties that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions against our country,” the ministry said, adding: “We will continue to consult with NATO and our other allies.”
Statements by senior Turkish officials did not mention Article 4, and Ankara did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The article states that NATO allies will “consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security” of a member is threatened.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it made no sense that the incident would trigger Article 5, which was invoked only once, after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and would have marked a major escalation of the conflict.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan conveyed the protest to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in a phone call after the incident, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
Ankara sought to mediate between the parties in the weeks before the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, prompting missile and drone attacks by Tehran. Fallout hit several countries in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere.
