The interception of a ballistic missile headed toward Türkiye does not currently justify invoking NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday, stressing that the alliance remains vigilant as regional tensions escalate.

"Nobody's talking about Article 5," Rutte said. "The ⁠most important thing is that our adversaries have seen yesterday that NATO is so strong and so vigilant, and even more vigilant, if possible, since Saturday."

Türkiye said NATO air defenses destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile as it headed into Turkish airspace, marking the first time the alliance member has been drawn into ⁠the ⁠Middle East conflict and raising the possibility of an expansion involving its bloc allies.

The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff on Thursday denied it had fired missiles at Türkiye, saying the Islamic Republic respected the sovereignty of "friendly" Türkiye, according to a statement carried by Iranian media.

NATO's ⁠Article 5 specifies that an attack on one of the alliance's members is an attack on all the others.

Rutte said NATO supports the U.S. in its strikes against Iran as the country was "close to becoming a ⁠threat ‌to Europe ‌as well."

As the U.S.-Iran war entered ⁠its sixth day, the ‌conflict has widened beyond Gulf states and into Asia, convulsing global markets and ⁠prompting thousands of stranded tourists ⁠and residents to try to flee the Middle ⁠East.