NATO chief Mark Rutte says Article 5 is "not on the table" after the alliance's air defenses shot down a ballistic missile over Turkish airspace yesterday.

Rutte said the incident was "serious" but "nobody is talking about Article 5."

Article 5 states that if a NATO ally faces an armed attack, any other member of the Alliance will consider this as an armed attack against all members and will take such action as it deems necessary to assist the attacked ally.

Yesterday's incident marked the first time that Turkey, a member of the military alliance, has become involved in the Middle East conflict and raised the possibility of a major expansion involving its allies in the bloc.

Rutte added that NATO supported the US targeting Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities, as the country was "close to becoming a threat to Europe as well."

Tehran denies launching missile towards Turkey