HIBAPRESS – Agencies
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that NATO air defenses in the eastern Mediterranean had destroyed a ballistic missile launched from Iran and heading towards Turkish airspace.
The ministry said that Turkey urges all parties to refrain from any actions that could escalate the conflict, stressing that it is in contact with NATO and other allies. It added that there were no casualties as a result of the incident and that Turkey reserves the right to respond to any hostile acts against it. The ministry explained that: "A ballistic missile fired from Iran was dealt with in a timely manner, and after crossing the airspaces of Iraq and Syria, it was found to be heading towards Turkish airspace, where it was engaged and neutralized by NATO air and missile defense elements stationed in the eastern Mediterranean." It stated that "it has been determined that the piece of ammunition that fell in the Dortyol district of Hatay province belongs to the air defense ammunition that carried out the interception operation after destroying the threat in the air. There are no casualties or injuries as a result of the incident."
