Spain approved yesterday a six-month extension of the deployment of its Patriot air defense missiles in Turkey.

According to information received from Spanish diplomatic sources, the country will extend the deployment of its missiles in Turkey's southern Adana province until the end of this year.

The extension process will be officially announced after an approval from NATO.

Following the departure of the Netherlands on Jan. 26, 2015, Spanish Patriot batteries started their service at the Turkish base. Under the umbrella of NATO, Patriot missile defense systems from various countries have been used in Turkey against possible missile threats from Syria.

In the face of growing security threats engulfing its region, Turkey had to rely on Patriot batteries provided by its NATO allies Germany and the Netherlands, which were withdrawn in 2015, and later Spanish batteries took their place at the İncirlik Air Base in Adana.