Türkiye on Wednesday said NATO was deploying a new Patriot missile battery at Incirlik air base just days after a third ballistic missile from Iran was shot down in Turkish airspace.
"Another Patriot system... is being deployed... in addition to the existing Spanish Patriot system stationed there," a Defense Ministry official told reporters at the Turkish air base, just outside the southern city of Adana.
The ministry spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk did not say which country's troops would be operating the new PAC-3 system.
He said the deployment of the battery came "in addition to the measures taken at the national level to ensure the security of our airspace and citizens."
Last Friday, Türkiye confirmed a third ballistic missile from Iran was shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces, the third such incident since the Middle East war started.
After the second interception, NATO deployed Patriot defenses in the central Malatya region, where the Kürecik air base is located, which houses a NATO early-warning radar system manned by U.S. troops that can detect Iranian missile launches.
Türkiye, which has maintained a neutral position in the war, has repeatedly assured the system was not used against Iran.
"We are maintaining contact with the relevant country to fully clarify all aspects of the incident, taking all necessary measures with determination against any threats to our national security, and closely and carefully monitoring developments in our region," Aktürk said.
Iranian officials have insisted that they did not fire at Türkiye, although the available data shows that the missiles came from Iran, the Turkish foreign minister said on Saturday.
The Patriot is a mobile air-defense system designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, low-flying cruise missiles and aircraft.
The PAC-2 version has an interception range of up to 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) against aircraft and cruise missiles, while the PAC-3 has a range of 20 to 35 kilometers against ballistic missiles, according to U.S. Army data.
