NATO intercepts second Iranian missile over Türkiye
NATO and Türkiye said a second ballistic missile launched from Iran was intercepted in Turkish airspace within five days, as the US ordered non-emergency staff to leave its Adana consulate over security risks, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Türkiye said on Monday that NATO air and missile defense systems intercepted another ballistic missile launched from Iran after it entered Turkish airspace, marking the second such incident in less than a week.
NATO confirmed the interception and said the alliance remained ready to protect all member states from threats. The latest incident came amid heightened tensions in the region following the start of US-Israeli strikes on February 28 and Iran’s subsequent missile and drone attacks targeting US assets across the Middle East.
Earlier in the day, the US Embassy in Türkiye announced the closure of its consulate in Adana and said non-emergency US government personnel and their family members had been ordered to leave because of security concerns. The State Department also urged US citizens in southeast Türkiye to depart.
According to Türkiye’s defense ministry, the missile was neutralized by NATO defense assets in the eastern Mediterranean after entering Turkish airspace. The ministry said fragments from the intercepted munition fell in open land in Gaziantep Province, with no injuries reported.
The Gaziantep governor’s office said a fragment landed at about 11:30 a.m. in an empty area near the TOKI housing estate in the Guneysehir district. Authorities said there was no damage.
Türkiye’s presidential communications chief, Burhanettin Duran, said Ankara would continue to protect its airspace and border security, while also warning against actions that could threaten regional stability and endanger civilians.
The previous incident was reported on March 4, when NATO forces intercepted another missile launched from Iran toward Türkiye. After that episode, the alliance said it had reinforced its ballistic missile defense posture.
Incirlik air base, located near Adana, remains a key NATO facility used by US forces for decades.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Iran’s Assembly of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the nation’s new supreme leader, succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei.