Iran Attacks Turkey; NATO Defences Shoot Down Incoming Ballistic Missile As Ankara Fumes

| Mar 04, 2026, 08:22:36 PM | TOI.in
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NATO air and missile defence systems destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile over the eastern Mediterranean on Wednesday after it crossed Iraqi and Syrian airspace and was detected heading into Turkish airspace marking the first time a NATO member state has been directly threatened by Iranian fire since the current conflict began five days ago. Turkey's Defence Ministry confirmed the interception, said there were no casualties, and issued a pointed warning that Ankara reserves the right to respond to hostile actions while urging all parties to avoid further escalation. The incident dramatically expands the geographic scope of a war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran last Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Turkey, a majority Sunni-Muslim NATO member sharing a 500-kilometre border with Iran, had been one of the most vocal advocates for a negotiated solution, with President Erdogan expressing personal grief over Khamenei's death and Ankara's foreign minister warning as recently as Tuesday that forcing regime change in Iran carried serious regional risks. Whether the missile was deliberately targeting Turkey or a navigation failure remains unclear.

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