Turkey Urges Iran to Hold Back After Missile Again Intercepted in its Territory

JAKARTA - Turkey has asked Iran to refrain from further escalation in the Middle East following the destruction of another missile in the Turkish sky.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense said NATO forces destroyed a ballistic missile launched from Iran in Turkish airspace, adding that there were no casualties or injuries.

"It is very important that tensions in the region (the Middle East) do not escalate and that the conflict does not spread to wider areas. Once again, we urge all parties, especially Iran, to refrain from actions that endanger regional security and could endanger civilian populations," said the head of communications for the Turkish presidential office, Burhanettin Duran, as reported by ANTARA from Sputnik.

On Saturday (7/3) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara had warned Tehran that the incident of the missile falling in Turkey would not be repeated.

"We are not a country that is easily provoked; we do not hesitate to protect our airspace," Fidan said.

"We know what it's like to be dragged into a war. We discussed this with our Iranian colleagues and said that if this was a 'lost' missile, it would be a different matter," he added.

But, if a similar incident is repeated again, he advised Tehran to be careful.