Turkey says it shot down third ballistic missile from Iran

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s defense ministry said Friday that NATO air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran after it entered Turkish airspace, marking the third such incident since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran two weeks ago.

In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied that the missile had been launched from Iran.

“A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean,” the ministry said in a statement.

Air raid sirens earlier sounded at Incirlik Air Base, a NATO facility that hosts US troops. Sirens were also reported in the eastern Turkish city of Batman.

Residents in the nearby city of Adana reported seeing a fast-moving object ablaze in the sky early Friday, according to local Turkish media outlets.

NATO had previously intercepted two missiles believed to have been launched from Iran on March 4 and again on Monday.

Following Monday’s incident, the United States closed its consulate in Adana and urged its citizens to leave southeastern Turkey.

The incidents come amid escalating regional tensions since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28.

NATO operates key missile defense assets in Turkey, including radar at Kurecik Radar Station, part of the alliance’s missile shield designed to detect missile launches from Iran.