Once again refuting the opposition’s claim that the Patriot missile system deployed in Turkish territories by NATO actually aims to protect Israel from Iran, Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz has stated that such protection is technically impossible
, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
The operational command of the system will belong to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) in order to fulfill legitimate defense in the most effective way, Yılmaz said February 5.
“Some of our colleagues lodged claims that ‘the target of the deployment of these Patriots is aimed at protecting Israel from missiles to be launched from Iran,’ which does not at all comply with the truth. It is not technically possible for a missile, the target of which could be 36 kilometers away, to intercept a missile launched from Iran to Israel,” Yılmaz said in an address to Parliament informing lawmakers of the NATO deployment of Patriot missiles in the face of a probable threat from Syria.
“Patriots are not weapons of attack. Taking into consideration the fact that it is solely a defense system, the firing authority should be held at the level that can fulfill legitimate defense in the most effective way. In this regard, the command of the Patriots will be held by the Allied Commander Europe,” Yılmaz said.
