On March 10, Turkey said that a US Patriot air defense system had been deployed to the southeast of the country, near a NATO radar base, within the alliance's steps to strengthen air defense against the possibility of being affected by missiles from the ongoing conflict in Iran.
This system was deployed to Malatya province, where the Kurecik NATO radar base is located. This facility provides important data for NATO and has helped detect 2 ballistic missiles believed to be Iranian flying towards Turkey last week.
In addition to the measures we are implementing at the national level, NATO's air defense and missile defense measures have also been strengthened. Within that framework, a Patriot system is being deployed to Malatya to contribute to protecting our airspace," the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced.
The ministry also added that Turkey will continue to assess regional developments and coordinate with NATO allies.
Previously, on March 9, Turkey warned Tehran not to fire more missiles at it, and said that the presidents of the two countries had discussed this issue in a phone call.
It is not yet clear where the Patriot system or accompanying batteries were transferred from. However, Turkey already has a Spanish Patriot system being deployed in its territory within the framework of NATO defense.
Meanwhile, the latest deployment move takes place in the context of many reports that the US is considering transferring military equipment, including the Patriot system stationed in South Korea.
For its part, Iran said it is not in a state of war with countries in the region and denied directly targeting neighboring Turkey.
