The China Mail - NATO intercepts second Iran missile in Turkish airspace: Ankara

Since the US-Israeli attacks began on February 28, Iran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes across the Middle East in a bid to hit US assets.

So far, Turkey appears to have been spared, despite US troops being stationed at several of its bases, one of which is the Incirlik airbase which lies just outside the southern city of Adana.

But on Monday, the US embassy in Turkey said it had closed its consulate in Adana and advised non-essential staff to leave, with the State Department urging all US citizens to leave the southeast.

"On March 9, 2026, the Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees and US government employee family members to leave Consulate General Adana due to the safety risks," the embassy said on X.

It referenced a State Department travel advisory saying: "Americans in southeast Turkey are strongly encouraged to depart now."

Barely an hour later, Turkey's defence ministry confirmed another ballistic missile fired from Iran had been intercepted in Turkish airspace by NATO defence systems in the second such incident in five days.

"A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets in the eastern Mediterranean," it said in a statement.

Incirlik air base is an important NATO facility that has been used by US troops for decades which is located just 10 kilometres outside Adana.

- Fragments hit construction site -

Some fragments from the weaponry fell in open territory in the Gaziantep area, about 200 kilometres (120 miles) east of Adana, causing no injuries, the ministry added.

"At around 11:30 am (0830 GMT), a fragment of ballistic munition fell onto an empty area above the TOKI housing estate in the Guneysehir district of Gaziantep," the governor's office said, adding there was no damage.

Images from the scene appeared to show the missile fragment lying on the ground at a building site.

"We were sitting at home when suddenly we heard a big bang. Since there's a construction site here, we thought the noise was coming from there. But when we came and looked, we saw the missile fragment," local resident Ramazan Akpinar told DHA news agency.

He said it made a loud noise but there was "no explosion".

In a post on X, presidential communications chief Burhanettin Duran said Turkey would not hesitate to protect its airspace and border security.

"We once again strongly reiterate our warning to all parties, particularly Iran, to refrain from actions that could endanger regional security and put civilians at risk," he wrote.

On March 4, NATO troops intercepted a Turkey-bound ballistic missile launched from Iran, prompting the alliance to strengthen its "ballistic missile defence posture".

Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said the missile was spotted by Spanish troops manning a Patriot missile battery, who are based at Incirlik.

They had "detected and reported the missile attack", though they were not the ones that shot it down, she said.

L.Johnson--ThChM