Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced Wednesday that a ballistic missile fired from Iran heading toward Turkish airspace had been shot down by NATO air defenses, threatening to pull more countries into the widening conflict in the Middle East.
The ministry did not say what the missile’s intended target was. An attack on Turkey, a NATO ally that shares a 300-mile border with Iran, would mark a dangerous escalation in Iran’s targeting of neighboring countries in retaliation for the attacks by the U.S. and Israel that began Saturday. Hundreds of people in Iran and other regional countries have been killed in the fighting.
Remnants of the ordnance fell in the south-central province of Hatay, near the border with Syria, after it was shot down, the ministry said. The Iranian government did not immediately respond to Turkey’s claim.
The missile interception came as the United States, Israel and Iran showed little sign of reaching an accord to end the fighting, as uncertainty hung over the direction of the Iranian leadership and the next steps in the U.S.-Israeli assault. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were scheduled to give a news conference Wednesday morning.
All sides were also closely watching for the outcome of deliberations by top Iranian officials over the replacement for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader assassinated by Israel in the bombing campaign’s opening blow.
President Donald Trump has acknowledged the possibility that Iran’s next ruler could be “as bad as” Khamenei. Iran’s leaders are leaning toward anointing his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, a hard-liner who would likely carry on his father’s legacy, according to three Iranian officials familiar with the deliberations. Israel’s defense minister vowed that if the next supreme leader followed Khamenei’s ideology, he would become “an unequivocal target for elimination.”
Israeli forces took aim at command centers of the powerful state Basij paramilitary Wednesday, after striking Iran’s police stations, detention centers and intelligence offices alongside U.S. forces. Analysts say the goal may be to weaken the Iranian government’s ability to crack down on any future protest wave and encourage Iranians to rise against their leaders, one of Trump’s avowed goals.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait all announced new Iranian attacks Wednesday. The U.S. Central Command said Tuesday evening that the U.S. military was conducting “24/7 strikes into Iran from seabed to space and cyberspace.”
In Lebanon, Israel ramped up its escalation with Hezbollah, ordering a mass evacuation in the country’s south. The Israeli military ordered Lebanese to flee north of the Litani, a river long seen as a front line in the conflict.
Here’s what else to know:
Markets tumble: Asian stocks fell precipitously, and average U.S. gas prices jumped by 9 cents to $3.20 on Wednesday as the war with Iran continued to roil global markets. Investors fear that a prolonged conflict could send energy costs surging as shipping through the Persian Gulf stalls and drone attacks target energy infrastructure.
Funeral rites: The farewell ceremony for Khamenei was postponed, Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, reported. The three-night observance had been scheduled to start Wednesday. Hojjatoleslam Seyed Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of the Islamic Propagation Coordination Council of Tehran, told IRNA that millions of people were expected to attend and authorities need to provide “the necessary infrastructure.”
Evacuations: Western governments were working to evacuate hundreds of thousands of their citizens from the region. The State Department said it was facilitating charter fights from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, after Trump was asked why the government was not helping Americans evacuate.
Iranian vessel sunk: An Iranian naval ship with a crew of 180 people sank in the Indian Ocean, officials in Sri Lanka said. About 30 people were rescued and a search was underway for any other survivors. The cause of the sinking was undetermined. The U.S.-Israeli military campaign has targeted Iran’s naval fleet.
Death toll: The Red Crescent Society, Iran’s main humanitarian relief organization, said the death toll had risen to 787 since the start of the U.S.-Israeli attacks. The bombing of a girls’ elementary school in Iran killed at least 175 people. Dozens of people in Lebanon also have been killed, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, in Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah.
Americans killed: Six U.S. service members have been killed in the conflict. The Defense Department released the names of four Army Reserve soldiers killed over the weekend in Kuwait in a drone attack on U.S. military facilities.