By Tuvan Gumrukcu
ANKARA, March 4 (Reuters) – Turkey said that NATO air defences destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile headed into Turkish airspace on Wednesday, marking the first time the alliance member has been drawn into the Middle East conflict and raising the possibility of a major expansion involving its bloc allies.
Turkey – Iran’s neighbour that had sought to mediate U.S.-Iran talks before the air war that began at the weekend – warned “all parties to refrain from actions that would lead to further escalation,” suggesting it was not poised to call upon the trans-Atlantic defence bloc for support.
But Ankara could potentially invoke NATO’s Article 4 after the airspace breach if it deemed the threat serious enough, a step that could lead to the alliance’s Article 5, which would oblige members to come to its defence.
It was unclear where the missile was headed. A NATO spokesperson said it condemned Iran’s targeting of Turkey, which has the bloc’s second-largest military, and that it stood firmly with all allies.
U.S. BASE IN NEIGHBOURING PROVINCE
The U.S. has air forces stationed at southern Turkey’s Incirlik base, which is located in an area neighbouring Hatay province, where authorities said debris from the intercepting NATO missile had fallen.
Iran did not immediately comment on the incident.
The Turkish defence ministry said the missile had passed over Iraq and Syria before it was downed by NATO air and missile defence systems stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, adding there were no casualties in the incident.
“All necessary steps to defend our territory and airspace will be taken … without hesitation. We remind all parties that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions against our country,” the ministry said, adding: “We will continue to consult with NATO and our other allies.”
Statements by senior Turkish officials did not mention Article 4 and Ankara did not comment when asked by Reuters.
The article states that NATO allies will “consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security” of a member is threatened.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there was no sense that the incident would trigger Article 5, which has only been invoked once before, after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and which would mark an major escalation in the conflict.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan conveyed a protest to Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in a call after the incident, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
Ankara had sought to mediate between the sides in the weeks before the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran, triggering missile and drone attacks by Tehran. Several countries in the Gulf and elsewhere have been caught in the fallout.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Additional reporting by Daren Butler; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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