<figure id="attachment_3267153" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3267153" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3267153" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/31d05560-nato-headquarters-building-nato-pic-260126.webp" alt="nato headquarters" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3267153" class="wp-caption-text">The Nato headquarters in Brussels. The ballistic missile defence posture was strengthened the same day after Nato intercepted an Iranian missile targeting Turkey. (Nato pic)</figcaption></figure>
BRUSSELS: Nato said Thursday it has strengthened its &#8220;ballistic missile defence posture&#8221; as Iran steps up its strikes across the Middle East with a missile launched at alliance-member Turkey before being shot down.
&#8220;Yesterday&#8230; Nato increased its alliance-wide ballistic missile defence posture,&#8221; alliance spokesman Colonel Martin O&#8217;Donnell said in a statement shared on social media.
The alliance&#8217;s 32 member states concurred with Nato commanders during an ambassador-level meeting that the posture should remain at its &#8220;heightened level&#8221; until the threat from Iran&#8217;s &#8220;indiscriminate attacks across the region&#8221; subsided, the spokesman said.
Details about the posture change could not be given for operational security reasons, O&#8217;Donnell added.
The spokesman confirmed however that the move came the same day as a &#8220;successful&#8221; Nato interception of a missile targeting Turkey.
&#8220;In less than 10 minutes, Nato service members identified a threat to Allies, a ballistic missile, confirmed its trajectory, alerted land-and sea-based missile defence systems, and launched an interceptor to defeat the threat,&#8221; he said.
Allies meeting in Brussels &#8220;again condemned Iran&#8217;s targeting of Turkiye&#8221;, the statement said, using the country&#8217;s official name.
Iran&#8217;s retaliatory strikes to US-Israeli attacks have seen missiles and drones strike cities and infrastructure across the Middle East.
Turkey&#8217;s defence ministry has said Nato&#8217;s defence systems intercepted and neutralised &#8220;a ballistic missile fired from Iran and detected heading towards Turkey&#8221;, but added no further details.
Nato&#8217;s assertion that the missile was &#8220;targeting&#8221; Turkey contradicts a claim by a Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, that it had been &#8220;aimed at a base in Greek Cyprus but veered off course&#8221;.
O&#8217;Donnell declined to provide further details on the missile&#8217;s target, citing security concerns.

MatchPoint Times

Nato raises ‘missile defence posture’ over Iran war

NATO’s 32 members agreed to keep the alliance’s posture at a “heightened level” until the threat from Iran’s “indiscriminate attacks across the region” subsides.

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