Turkey “was not the target of the missile“ fired by Iran, which was destroyed by NATO defense systems located in the Eastern Mediterranean, a responsible Turkish official told Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
“We believe it was aimed at a military base“ in Cyprus, “but deviated from its course“, added the Turkish official, who asked not to be named.
Turkey's Defense Ministry announced on Monday that it had intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Iran that had headed for Turkish airspace after flying over Iraqi and Syrian airspace.
While it was not clear where the missile was aimed, a NATO spokeswoman condemned “targeting Turkey” and said the Alliance stood firmly with its allies.
There has been no immediate reaction from the United States, which has air forces based at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, Reuters reported. The base is located in a district bordering Hatay province, where Turkish authorities said debris from the munition that destroyed the missile fell.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi after the interception of the ballistic missile, TRT Haber reported, citing diplomatic sources.
According to the sources cited, during the conversation, Fidan paid particular attention to the rise in tension in the region and stressed the need to avoid any steps that could lead to the spread of the conflict.
The Turkish Defense Ministry reported that there were no casualties or injuries as a result of the incident.
"We recall that we have the right to respond to any hostile attitude towards our country," the Ministry of Defense stressed defense.
Turkey warned all parties to refrain from steps that would lead to the escalation of the conflict in the region and stressed that it would continue talks with NATO and its other allies in this regard.