Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Iran's attempted drone attack on Turkey would not trigger NATO's Article 5 collective defense provision.

"There is no sense that" the thwarted Iranian drone strike would activate the principle that considers an attack on one NATO member as an attack on all alliance members, Hegseth told reporters.

The comments came as Hegseth also addressed media coverage of recent U.S. military strikes against Iran. He criticized what he termed "fake news" coverage of the Trump administration's Iranian operations, stating that the U.S. military remains "laser focused" on its mission.

Hegseth suggested that news outlets prioritize negative stories, claiming that "only tragedies make front page" in current media coverage of military operations.

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty has been invoked only once in NATO's history, following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The provision requires all alliance members to consider an armed attack against one member as an attack against all.

The Iranian drone attack on Turkey was reportedly unsuccessful, though details about the incident and the extent of any damage or casualties were not immediately available.