Turkey's defense ministry reported that on March 9, NATO systems intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Iran over Turkish airspace. This is the second such incident in just a few days: on March 4, another Iranian missile was intercepted after passing through the airspace of Iraq and Syria before reaching Turkey. The second missile fell in a field near Gaziantep in southern Turkey.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call that "Iran is not the source of the rockets that entered Turkish airspace" and promised a comprehensive investigation into the incidents. Erdogan expressed displeasure and emphasized that Iran must not target third, brotherly nations in the region, as this "will not benefit anyone."

The Turkish president reiterated Ankara's desire to remain neutral in the conflict. "Our main goal is to keep the country away from this fire. Ensuring security and peace for our 86 million citizens is our absolute priority," Erdogan stated. He added that he is actively speaking with several world leaders in an effort to reduce tensions and emphasized that violations of Turkish sovereignty will not be accepted.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan issued a direct warning to Tehran: "We are not a country easily provoked. We spoke with our Iranian friends and told them that if this missile goes astray once, it is one thing, but if it continues, let them be careful." The NATO interception incident also raises questions about potential activation of Article 5 on collective defense, though the Alliance has not yet issued an official comment in that direction.