How a Turkish Radar Base Provided Critical Support For Israel’s Missile Defence Efforts Against Iran

Iranian government sources have reported that the Turkish Kurecik Radar Station in the country’s Malatya province played a critical role in supporting Israeli missile defence efforts, after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps retaliated to Israeli air strikes from June 13-24 by launching ballistic missile and drone attacks against Israeli targets. Iranian state media outlet Press TV cited officials stating on this basis that Turkey was “spying on Iran for Zionist interests.” While Turkey was the first country in the Middle East to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, Iran continue to refer to Israel as a ‘Zionist entity’ and in similar terms due to a refusal to recognise the state’s legitimacy. The AN/TPY-2 radar systems at the facility in question were installed U.S. military personnel in the early 2010s, allowing it to open it 2012.

The Turkish government has confirmed that radar data from the Kurecik base is shared with the other NATO members, and was “established in line with Turkey’s national security and interests and is intended to ensure the protection of the NATO allies.” This includes the United States, which actively participated in Israeli operations against Iran, as well as other NATO members which are reported to have provided key support such as the United Kingdom and Germany. While the Turkish government has denied providing data to Israel directly, which remains in question due to the advanced state of defence cooperation between the two states, the sharing of data with other NATO members, which themselves share intelligence with Israel, would allow this data to reach the Israel Defence Forces. The United States would also be able to use this data to bolster its own efforts to intercept Iranian missiles targeting Israel using its AEGIS destroyers and THAAD anti-missile systems.

American and allied radar systems on the ground are networked with airborne sensors and U.S. Space Force assets to maximise situational awareness against incoming missile attacks. Despite support from Turkey and the Untied States, however, missile defence efforts against Iranian strikes have been limited in their success, with the damage to military and strategic targets across Israel having been severe. Missile strikes played a central role in pressing Israel and the United States to press for a ceasefire before their full objectives were achieved against Iran, with the serious depletion of the two countries’ arsenals of anti-missile interceptors, and the growing use of more advanced missiles able to more easily evade interception, having been significant factors.

Turkey has been a vital strategic partner for Israel since the outbreak of hostilities between the country and a number of Iranian-aligned military groups in October 2023. The country continued to make major oil shipments directly from Ceyhan Port to a pipeline near Ashkelon in Israel, which accounted for approximately 30 percent of all Israeli oil imports. Turkish vessels shipping crude oil to Israel have notably turned off their transponders, only to reappear days later, but could be observed making their deliveries using satellite imagery, with this being key to sustaining the country’s war effort. The countries’ defence partnership has spanned several decades, an example being the extensive refurbishment and modernisation Israel provided to the Turkish F-4E fighter fleet.

Israel and Turkey have been widely reported to closely coordinate their operations against Syria and the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah, which were pressed between two fronts in their conflicts with the two states. Ankara and Tel Aviv also coordinated efforts to bolster jihadist insurgents against the Syrian government in Syria from 2011-2024, which alongside training and supplies also received air support from both Turkish and from Israeli fighter planes when engaging Syrian forces. Other than the United States, Turkish contributions have been by far the most significant in facilitating Israel’s ongoing war efforts against its adversaries.