Turkey announced on Tuesday that a US Patriot air defense system has been deployed in the southeast of the country, near the NATO radar base in Kurecik, as part of strengthening the alliance's air defenses in the face of missile threats related to the war with Iran.
According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the system is being deployed in Malatya province, home to the NATO radar base in Kurecik, which provides important data for the alliance. The base's radars also helped identify two Iranian ballistic missiles that were launched towards Turkish territory last week.
Iran has said it is not at war with regional countries and has denied directly targeting Turkey. However, Ankara has warned Tehran not to fire missiles at it again, and the presidents of the two countries discussed the issue on Monday.
"Within the framework of the measures we are taking at the national level, NATO air and missile defense measures have also been increased. In this context, a Patriot system is being deployed in Malatya to contribute to the protection of our airspace," the Turkish ministry said in a statement.
Turkish authorities added that they will continue to monitor developments in the region and cooperate with NATO allies.
t7 live
