Türkiye’s Defence Ministry announced on 18 March that NATO will deploy a second Patriot anti-missile system to Turkey’s İncirlik air base in the south of the country, in addition to the “Patriot system from Spain already stationed there”, just days after a third ballistic missile from Iran that allegedly targeted the base was intercepted after invading Turkish airspace.
According to the Ministry of National Defence, “in addition to the measures taken at the national level to ensure the security of our airspace and our citizens, another Patriot system, assigned by the Allied Air Command in Ramstein/Germany, is being deployed in Adana, in addition to the Spanish Patriot system already stationed there“, according to statements made by Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, press advisor and spokesman for the ministry, during a weekly appearance held precisely from the 10th Main Fighter Base Command in İncirlik.
“On March 13, another ballistic missile launched from Iran entered our airspace and was neutralised by NATO air defence and anti-missile elements deployed in the eastern Mediterranean,” Aktürk was quoted as saying by Turkish news portal TRT Haber, further noting that contacts with Tehran are continuing to fully investigate the incident, while all necessary measures are being taken against any threat to national security and developments in the region are being closely monitored.
Condemnation of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon
Commenting on the situation in the Middle East and Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon, Turkey’s defence ministry spokesman said the Israeli offensive was a grave breach of international and humanitarian law and had aggravated regional instability.
“Israel continues to violate the ceasefire in Gaza and to perpetuate its repression in the West Bank, including obstructing the right of Muslims to pray during the holy month of Ramadan. We reiterate our support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and call on the international community to fulfil its responsibility to end Israel’s repression of the Palestinian people,” Aktürk said.
“We look forward to an immediate end to the conflicts in the Middle East that are causing the loss of innocent civilian lives and increasingly undermining regional stability and security, and stress the great importance of restoring the safe and uninterrupted operation of the Strait of Hormuz, which has serious negative impacts on the global economy and energy supply,” he concluded.
Since 4 March, NATO air defence systems in the eastern Mediterranean have intercepted three missiles launched from Iran towards Turkey, most recently on 13 March over İncirlik. The new deployment, coordinated by Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, could include a PAC-3 forward battery, according to some sources. In addition, the Atlantic Alliance last week deployed another Patriot battery in eastern Turkey, specifically in the eastern province of Malatya, where a key early warning radar system is stationed to detect missile launches on NATO’s southeastern flank.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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