Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned what she described as an “unjustifiable missile attack” on Turkey after NATO said it intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran and heading toward alliance territory.
Meloni expressed solidarity with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a phone call focused on the expanding Middle East conflict, according to a statement from her office released on Friday.
She conveyed “solidarity and support” to Turkey “in the face of the unjustifiable missile attack,” the statement said.
The remarks came after NATO said on Wednesday that its air defense systems had intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran and heading toward Turkey, marking a new stage in the regional fallout from the war.
The incident has drawn attention because accounts differ on the missile’s intended destination. NATO said the missile was “targeting” Turkey, while a Turkish official, speaking anonymously, said it had actually been aimed at a military base in Greek Cyprus and had veered off course before being intercepted.
Turkey, a NATO member that shares a border with Iran, has warned that the conflict risks spreading across the region and has called for restraint while also saying it reserves the right to respond to hostile acts.
Meloni’s statement added to growing backing from NATO allies after the interception raised concern about direct threats to alliance territory.
© Agence France-Presse