ISTANBUL

The UAE on Monday “strongly condemned” the firing of a ballistic missile from Iran toward Turkish airspace, according to a statement from its Foreign Ministry.

The UAE “strongly condemned” the attempt to “target the friendly Republic of Türkiye with an Iranian ballistic missile for the second time in less than a week,” it said.

It considers these “hostile acts a dangerous escalation, a blatant violation of state sovereignty, and a direct threat to the security and stability of the region,” the statement added.

It added that the continued targeting of “brotherly and friendly countries” is condemned “by all legal and political standards,” warning that such actions are “an unacceptable escalation that increases tensions in the region.”

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

In a statement shared through US social media company X, the ministry said some debris from the munition fell onto vacant land in the country's southeastern Gaziantep province, adding that there have been no casualties or injuries.

The development came amid the ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iran, launched on Feb. 28, which have 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.