Turkey announced on Wednesday that NATO has deployed an additional Patriot missile battery at the Incirlik Air Base in the south of the country. This move follows the repeated interception of missiles launched by Iran since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
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A Turkish Ministry of Defense official told reporters at the base near the city of Adana: "Another Patriot system is being deployed... adding to the Spanish Patriot system already stationed there."
NATO air defenses intercepted the first ballistic missile in Turkish airspace on March 4, four days after the start of the Israeli-American war on Iran, to which Tehran has responded by launching attacks across the Middle East.
Following the initial interception, NATO air defenses intercepted a second and third missile from Iran. These escalations prompted Washington to close its consulate in Adana and urge all U.S. citizens to leave southeastern Turkey.
The Kurecik and Incirlik bases remain highly sensitive issues for Turkey. Recently, police detained three journalists on charges of "national security violations" after they were caught filming near Incirlik just hours after the Iranian strikes.
