Has Russia's Putin Been Successful In Creating A No-Fly Zone Over Syria?

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Backed by Putin: This satellite image shows 16 warplanes at a government airbase near the coastal city of Latakia, backing claims of Moscow support made by the Syrian military officials

Josh Rogin, Washington Times: Putin Has His Own No-Fly Zone in Syria

After years of debating a U.S.-led no-fly zone inside Syria to protect rebels and civilians, Vladimir Putin has established his own no-fly zone in a matter of days -- to protect his new base there.

In the U.S. there is an increasing bipartisan call for the U.S. to move toward some form of a no-fly zone or humanitarian buffer zone in Syria. Hillary Clinton said Thursday that if she were in office, she would be advocating for a no-fly zone to protect civilians and stem the flow of refugees. Putin made it look easy.

NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, General Philip Breedlove, was the first top Western official to publicly state that Russia’s new military infrastructure inside Syria, which includes anti-aircraft defense systems, was a de facto no-fly zone. He warned on Tuesday that Russia had created a new anti-access/area-denial bubble in Syria where U.S. planes could no longer travel.

He said the “very sophisticated air defense capabilities" were not aimed at the Islamic State. "They’re about something else,” he said.

WNU editor: It looks like Putin has succeeded in setting up his own no-fly zone .... As Russia rains bombs on Syria, U.S. launches a single airstrike (Washington Times).