Turkey in March 2026: the most important developments in security
Turkey in March 2026 saw Iranian ballistic missiles enter its airspace during the war between Iran and the United States and Israel, and NATO air defences shoot them down. The first case came on 4 March; the Turkish government said the missile was not targeting its territory, and Iran denied firing it. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed a swift response. A second missile was shot down on 9 March, when Erdogan told Iran the violation of Turkish airspace 'cannot be excused for any reason'. On 13 March NATO forces shot down several more, at least one of which was reported to be aimed at a US air base, and Turkey asked Tehran for clarification while Iran said a third party was responsible. A fourth missile was shot down on 30 March.
Turkey and its allies reinforced its defences. NATO increased its missile defence posture, and Patriot systems were deployed in Malatya province and at a southern base, with a third system announced on 18 March. Turkey closed three border crossings with Iran to travellers, and the United States ordered non-essential diplomats to leave southern Turkey. On 9 March Turkey deployed six F-16 fighter jets and air defence systems to Northern Cyprus, a step a US congressman called 'unacceptable and illegal'. Turkey declared a Cyprus air notice 'null and void' and accused Greece of militarising Aegean islands.
In the Black Sea, a tanker carrying Russian oil was hit by a naval drone on 26 March, and a Greek-owned tanker bound for Russia was attacked off Romania on 14 March. The Russian embassy in Ankara reported an attempted sabotage attack on the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines, and Gazprom reported 12 foiled attacks on its pipeline infrastructure in Turkey.
Turkish authorities arrested 14 suspected members of Daesh in nationwide raids during the Eid holiday, and police in Istanbul detained 25 suspects in an operation against the alleged FETO network. Seven people, including four Qatari and three Turkish nationals, died in a military helicopter crash on 22 March.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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