Nato forces have shot down a ballistic missile that Iran fired towards Turkey, Ankara said, in an escalation of the Iran-US-Israel conflict spreading across the region.

“A ballistic munition, fired from Iran and detected heading towards Turkish airspace after passing through Iraqi and Syrian airspace, was neutralised in a timely manner by Nato air and missile defence elements deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Turkey's Defence Ministry said.

"One missile" had been heading towards Turkish airspace over the country's south-eastern Hatay province, and "was intercepted and destroyed by Nato air defence systems", presidential communications chief Burhanettin Duran said.