ROME

Italy stands in solidarity with Türkiye and expresses closeness and friendship to the Turkish people, the Italian foreign minister said Monday following the firing of a ballistic missile from Iran into Turkish airspace.

Speaking to reporters in Rome, Antonio Tajani said: "What we are witnessing is a situation in which international law has been completely set aside, and we are working to find a path that will lead to a diplomatic solution.”

Tajani said they continue to maintain diplomatic relations with Iran and are working to reduce tensions.

On the missile that entered Turkish airspace earlier Monday before being neutralized, he said "we must always exercise the utmost caution."

"We stand in solidarity with Türkiye and express our closeness and friendship with the Turkish people," he added.

Decisions at this stage must be taken with great care, he said, underlining that, for the time being, he does not believe it is necessary to invoke NATO Article 5 on collective defense.

The Turkish National Defense Ministry said Monday that a ballistic missile fired from Iran that entered Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean.

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.