NATO anti-missile systems destroyed a ballistic missile fired by Iran towards Turkey on Wednesday, the Turkish government has said. The incident took place on the fifth day of the conflict. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, NATO air and missile defense capabilities deployed in the Mediterranean Sea intercepted the missile
Ferdinand Knapp
“It has been determined that the fragment of munition that fell in the Dörtyol district of Hatay province belongs to the air defense munition used in the interception following the destruction of the threat in the air. There were no fatalities or injuries in the incident,” the ministry said in a statement.
The statement added: “All necessary steps to defend our territory and airspace will be taken decisively and without hesitation. We reiterate that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile act directed against our country.”
On Tuesday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Ankara would remain “cautious, prudent, and patient in order to ensure that not even a hair on the head of any one of our 86 million citizens is harmed.”
