Burak Bir
09 March 2026•Update: 09 March 2026
LONDON
France on Monday strongly condemned the firing of a ballistic missile from Iran toward Türkiye, calling on Tehran to "cease unjustified strikes."
"France condemns in the strongest possible terms the Iranian missile launch that was intercepted in Turkish airspace by the missile defense system of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)," France’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement added that Paris stands alongside its allies and partners "who have been drawn into the conflict against their will." Both France and Türkiye are longstanding members of the NATO alliance.
"Iran must cease unjustified strikes targeting states in the region," it added.
The Turkish National Defense Ministry said Monday that a ballistic missile that was fired from Iran into Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean.
On US social media company X, the ministry said some debris from the missile fell onto vacant land in the country's southeastern Gaziantep province, adding that there were no casualties or injuries.
The development came amid the ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iran, launched on Feb. 28, which have so far killed more than 1,200 people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.
