The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Turkey indicated during its weekly briefing that after shooting down an Iranian missile that was heading towards Turkey yesterday, Ankara continues to support stability in the region, but reserves the right to respond to hostile actions, BTA reported.
“Turkey remains committed to maintaining regional stability, while reserving the right to respond to hostile actions“, the spokesman for the Turkish Ministry of Defense, Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, told journalists.
Yesterday, Turkey confirmed the information that NATO's missile defense neutralized a ballistic missile after it was found that it was launched from Iran, passed through the airspace of Iraq and Syria and headed towards Turkey.
Today, the Ministry of Defense again emphasized that there were no casualties or injuries in the incident and expressed hope that the conflict would end as soon as possible.
„We are closely following the conflict, which began with the attacks of Israel and the United States on Iran and escalated with the targeting of third countries. We hope that the conflict, which affects innocent civilians and encroaches on peace and stability in our region, will end sooner rather than later“, said Rear Admiral Aktürk.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense stressed that they are ready to contribute to solving the problems in the region in a peaceful manner and emphasize that this can only happen through dialogue.
The military assured that there is no migrant pressure on Turkey after the start of the conflict in Iran.
“There are enhanced security measures on all borders of Turkey, including the one with Iran. Our relevant state authorities are taking the necessary measures against potential risks“, said Rear Admiral Aktürk.
According to data from the Turkish Ministry of Defense, 1,200 people have been captured since the beginning of the year who tried to cross Turkey's borders illegally. In the past week, Turkish authorities have prevented 1,495 people from doing so, and since the beginning of the year, 11,760 people have been prevented.