Turkish Defense Ministry Spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk speaks at a press briefing in Incirlik Air Base in the southern province of Adana, Türkiye, on March 18, 2026. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

ANKARA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- NATO deploys an additional Patriot air defense system to the southern Adana province of Türkiye, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Wednesday, after a ballistic missile fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace was intercepted last week.

"In addition to the measures taken at national level to ensure the security of our airspace and our citizens, a further Patriot system, deployed by Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, is being stationed in Adana, supplementing the existing Spanish Patriot system already based there," Turkish Defense Ministry Spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk said at a press briefing.

Akturk said a missile launched from Iran on March 13 entered Turkish airspace, which was neutralized over the eastern Mediterranean by NATO air and missile defense units.

On March 10, the Turkish Defense Ministry said a Patriot air defense system assigned by NATO to support Türkiye's airspace had been deployed in the eastern province of Malatya and was being prepared for operational readiness.

The developments came amid heightened tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East. ■

Turkish Defense Ministry Spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk speaks at a press briefing in Incirlik Air Base in the southern province of Adana, Türkiye, on March 18, 2026. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)