NATO Shoots Down Iranian Missile Headed for Turkey

BY MALLORY SHELBOURNE

USNI News

NATO assets shot down an Iranian ballistic missile headed for Turkey, alliance officials said Wednesday. 

“A ballistic munition detected to have been launched from Iran and, after passing through the airspace of Iraq and Syria, directed towards Turkish airspace, was timely engaged and neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean,” reads an English-language statement from the Turkish Defense Ministry.

“The munition fragment that fell in the Dörtyol district of Hatay was identified as belonging to the air defense interceptor used to neutralize the threat in the air. There were no casualties or injuries in the incident.”

Pentagon officials wouldn’t specify the platform that intercepted the missile, the U.S. has seven guided-missile destroyers operating in the Eastern Mediterranean. Following an earlier version of this post, CBS and The New York Times identified the destroyer as the USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79). Rota, Spain-based Austin, USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) and USS Bulkeley (DDG-84) are all operating in the Eastern Mediterranean and part of the U.S. European missile defense scheme designed specifically to counter Iranian ballistic missiles.

NATO assets in the Eastern Mediterranean also include the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and its escorts – USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81), USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) and USS Mahan (DDG-72). As of Monday, independently deployed guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) was also operating in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to the USNI News Fleet & Marine Tracker.

“We condemn Iran’s targeting of [Turkey]. NATO stands firmly with all Allies, including [Turkey], as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said in a statement. “Our deterrence and defense posture remains strong across all domains, including when it comes to air and missile defense.”

Incirlik Air Base, which the U.S. shares with the Turkish military in southern Turkey, has long hosted a stockpile of U.S. non-strategic nuclear gravity bombs

Asked about the intercept during a briefing Wednesday at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was aware of the incident but would have to get more details.

“No sense that it would trigger anything like Article 5, no,” Hegseth told reporters.

Article 5 refers to a provision in the NATO alliance that says if one member country is attacked, they are all attacked. Turkey is a member of NATO.