Explosion heard overnight near Turkish military base hosting US troops

ANKARA, March 13 (Reuters) - An explosion was heard and windows were shaken overnight near the Incirlik military base in ​southern Turkey where U.S. troops and others are ‌stationed, according to a Reuters witness and social media footage.

NATO air defences stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have in ​the last week intercepted two ballistic missiles fired from ​Iran towards Turkey amid the U.S. and Israeli ⁠war on Iran.

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NATO has since beefed up its ballistic ​missile defences in the region, deploying a U.S. Patriot air ​defence system to the southeastern Turkish province of Malatya to increase defence at a radar base there used by the alliance.

Social ​media footage appeared to show a projectile flying ​in the night sky near the Incirlik Air Base in Adana ‌province.

Turkey’s ⁠state-owned Anadolu news agency said sirens were heard at the base early on Friday, without providing further details.

Ankara has not officially commented on the incident and it ​was not immediately ​clear what ⁠had caused the explosion.

Turkey has also not said where the previous missiles fired ​from Iran were aimed at, but U.S. ​air forces - ⁠along with personnel from other countries - are stationed at the Incirlik base.

Ankara says that Washington has not used ⁠Incirlik ​in its air assault with Israel ​against Iran, which triggered Tehran’s missile and drone attacks.

Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, ​Ece Toksabay and Omer Berberoglu, Editing by William Maclean

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