On March 5, 2026, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the missile attack by Iran on NATO ally Turkey as “unacceptable” and pledged full support from the United States towards Turkey. The interception of a ballistic missile launched by Iran towards Turkish airspace by the NATO defense system was met with strong reactions globally.
Rubio, in a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, emphasized that any aggression towards Turkey’s sovereign territory was not to be tolerated. The firm support of the US for Turkey was reiterated during the conversation.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed that the ballistic missile launched by Iran, passing through Iraq and Syria, was intercepted by the NATO missile defense system deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkish officials revealed that the missile’s original target may have been a base in Greek Cyprus but veered off course.
Fortunately, there were no casualties reported from the incident. Fragments of the intercepted missile were found in the Dortyol district in southern Turkey, near the Syrian border, verifying the debris as remnants of the interceptor.
In response to the provocative act, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Iranian ambassador to express grave concerns. Fidan warned Iran to refrain from actions that could escalate the conflict further.
Fidan criticized Iran’s retaliatory actions as a “wrong strategy” and pointed out the potential strategy of “if I am going down, I will take the entire region down with me”.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that Turkey was in consultation with NATO allies to take all necessary precautionary measures and issued clear warnings to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. He emphasized the importance of enhancing deterrence capabilities for national and border security in these challenging times.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart expressed support for Turkey, stating that NATO steadfastly stood with all allies, including Turkey, and emphasized the continued strength of NATO’s deterrence and defense posture in all areas.
On February 28, the US and Israel jointly initiated a military operation codenamed “Operation Epic Fury” aimed at completely destroying Iran’s ballistic missile development and launch capabilities, annihilating the Iranian navy, ensuring international maritime security, permanently preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and cutting off Iran’s support to armed proxies in the Middle East.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of high-ranking military officials were killed in the initial airstrike on February 28, with thousands of military targets destroyed in subsequent waves of attacks.
In retaliation, Iran launched thousands of suicide drones and ballistic missiles targeting not only several US military assets in the Middle East but also neutral countries that had not participated in the initial attacks.