NATO air defences shot down an Iranian ballistic missile heading toward Turkish airspace on Wednesday in what marks the first direct targeting of a NATO member since the conflict began, as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the incident would not trigger the alliance’s Article 5 collective defence clause.
The missile was fired from Iran and tracked crossing Iraqi and Syrian airspace before heading toward Turkey’s southern Hatay province, where it was intercepted by NATO air and missile defence assets stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean. Debris from the interceptor missile fell in the Dörtyol district of Hatay. There were no casualties or injuries.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi immediately after the interception to protest the incident, urging that any steps likely to widen the conflict be avoided. The Turkish Defence Ministry warned all parties to refrain from further escalation, while reserving the right to defend Turkish territory and airspace.
Hegseth said in Washington that there was no sense the incident would trigger NATO’s Article 5 provision, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
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