Istanbul, 18 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - NATO is bolstering air defences in Turkey in response to ongoing Iranian missile attacks.

An additional Patriot missile defence system is to be deployed in the southern Turkish province of Adana, a spokesman for the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Wednesday at the NATO base in İncirlik.

The system is to be transferred from the US base at Ramstein in western Germany.

A NATO spokesman said the system provides "additional capability to further strengthen NATO's defensive posture against any potential threat."

It complements two other systems in Turkey, including one that Spain has had stationed in the country for more than a decade.

For reasons of operational security, no further details regarding the deployment were provided.

Since the start of the Iran conflict at the end of February, three missiles from Iran have already been intercepted by a NATO defence system on Turkey's southern border, most recently on Friday.

According to media reports, sirens were heard at the NATO base in İncirlik, where US soldiers are also stationed. 

Last week, Turkey already bolstered its defences and deployed an additional missile defence system in the eastern province of Malatya.

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