TURKIYE’S ERDOGAN: NO TOLERANCE FOR VIOLATIONS OF TURKISH AIRSPACE

ANKARA, March 10 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday that any violation of Turkish airspace "cannot be excused," reported Xinhua.

Erdoğan made the remarks during a phone call requested by the Iranian side.

Earlier Monday, Türkiye's Defence Ministry said a ballistic missile launched from Iran was successfully intercepted over the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep by NATO and missile defence assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, with no casualties reported.

Türkiye "is negatively affected by conflicts in which it is not a party," Erdogan said, adding that it will "continue to take all necessary measures against this."

During the phone conversation, Pezeshkian said that the missiles that entered Turkish airspace "were not of Iranian origin" and that Iran will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

Erdoğan expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life, particularly the children killed in the bombing of a girls' school in southern Iran, and reiterated condolences over the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

He voiced hope that the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as Ali's successor would contribute to peace in the region.

The phone conversation came amid heightened regional tensions following joint United States (US)-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and US assets across the Middle East.

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA