Iran has continued its missile attacks across the region.

10:13, Fri, Mar 13, 2026 Updated: 11:17, Fri, Mar 13, 2026

Iranian missiles appear in the skies over Ramallah

Iranian missile (Image: Getty)

NATO air defences have shot down an Iranian missile over Turkey as Tehran continues to launch strikes across the Middle East. According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, the first missile was destroyed before it reached Turkish airspace, while the second managed to enter it before being brought down.

In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of Defence said: "A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean. All necessary measures are being taken decisively and without hesitation against and threat directed at our country's territory and airspace. Consultations are being conducted with the relevant country to clarify all aspects of the incidents.

"All developments in the region are being closely monitored and assessed with national security as the foremost priority."

Local media also reported sirens in Batman, 600 kilometres (370 miles) further east.

Turkey announced on Tuesday that a US Patriot air‑defense system has been positioned in its southeast, close to a NATO radar installation, as part of the alliance’s broader effort to strengthen regional air defenses in response to missile threats from Iran.

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In a separate development, alarms sounded in the city of Batman around 4 am, with reporters noting that the sirens seemed to originate from a nearby military drone base next to the airport.

The incident led Washington to temporarily close its consulate in Adana and advise all US citizens to leave southeastern Turkey.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian later told Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that the missile involved had not been launched from Iran, even as Tehran has been carrying out retaliatory strikes across the Middle East since the US–Israeli war on Iran began on February 28.

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The region’s tension is heightened by the presence of key NATO sites in Turkey, including the long‑standing Incirlik Air Base—used by US, Spanish, and Polish personnel—and the Kurecik installation in Malatya, where US forces operate an early‑warning radar that NATO describes as a crucial part of its missile‑defense shield capable of detecting Iranian launches.

Although Ankara insists that radar data has never been shared to support Israel, the system’s presence has nonetheless unsettled Tehran.