Turkey's disinformation center refutes reports of strike on US military base on Turkish soil
Ankara said videos circulating on social media purportedly showing explosions at Incirlik Air Base were fabricated or taken from unrelated events.
Turkey — March 2, 2026
Turkey's national center for combating disinformation issued a formal statement Monday refuting widespread reports on social media claiming that an Iranian missile had struck Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey.
The center said multiple videos circulating on X and Telegram purportedly showing explosions at Incirlik were 'completely fabricated or reused footage from unrelated incidents in Ukraine and Syria.'
Turkish Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Zeki Acar confirmed that Incirlik Air Base 'is fully operational and there have been no attacks on Turkish territory.'
The false reports had sparked panic in Adana province, where Incirlik is located, and briefly disrupted traffic as some residents evacuated homes near the base.
Turkey, a NATO member, has maintained a delicate position in the crisis, neither endorsing the US-Israeli strikes nor openly aligning with Iran. Ankara has offered to mediate between parties.
President Erdogan spoke by phone Monday with both US President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, urging restraint and proposing a regional emergency summit in Istanbul.
