The missiles increasingly pose a test for NATO member and Iran’s neighbour Turkiye and the alliance itself. Ankara has warned Tehran against any more attacks.
Published On 13 Mar 2026
NATO air defences in the eastern Mediterranean have shot down a third ballistic missile that was fired from Iran towards Turkiye, according to the Turkish Defence Ministry, adding that it was asking Tehran for clarification, as the United States and Israeli war on Iran reverberates further west.
“A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean,” a ministry statement said on Friday.
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NATO confirmed the latest development. “NATO remains vigilant and stands firm in its defence of all allies,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said.
NATO air defences shot down the first Iranian ballistic missile fired at Turkiye 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.
The missiles increasingly pose a test for NATO member Ankara and the alliance. Ankara, NATO’s second-largest army and Iran’s neighbour, has warned Tehran against any more attacks.
It also protested to Tehran after every incident, but has not suggested it wants to formally call on alliance members for protection.
“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,” Friday’s ministry statement said.
There was no immediate comment from Iran on the latest incident, but it has so far repeatedly denied deliberately targeting Turkiye amid its war with the United States and Israel.
Before the ministry’s statement at noon on Friday, residents of the southern city of Adana, next to Incirlik, where an airbase with US forces is based, were woken by sirens at 3:25am (00:25 GMT) and several posted footage of a fast-moving object that appeared to be on fire, local media reports said.
Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said according to ministry sources, what was seen in pictures circulating on social media were fragments of a missile that had started burning in the atmosphere.
“These fragments hit the ground and were photographed by residents of Adana,” she added.
Following the incidents in Turkiye, NATO has beefed up its ballistic missile defences in the region and deployed a US Patriot air defence system to the southeastern Turkish province of Malatya to increase defence at the Kurecik radar base there used by the alliance.
Incirlik is an important NATO facility used by US troops for decades, but which also hosts military personnel from Spain and Poland, its website says.
US troops are also stationed at Kurecik, a base in the central Malatya province, where they man an early-warning radar system NATO describes as a “key element” of its missile shield that can detect Iranian missile launches.
Although Ankara has categorically denied radar data has ever been used to help Israel, its presence has rattled Tehran.