Russia will not permit the creation of a no-fly zone over Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Monday, following reports the U.S. is preparing to implement an air exclusion zone over the country.
Meanwhile, the International Red Cross has said it has found no hard evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, according to the Voice of Russia.
"We will not allow this scenario. Such maneuvers and arguments are a direct consequence of the disrespect for international law,” Lukashevich said.
"Libya was an example of how such a zone is implemented and how such decisions are made,"
"We do not want to repeat this scenario in Syria. We would not permit, in principle, such a scenario," he said.
The U.S. is reportedly considering a no-fly zone over Syria, with support for the move expressed by Jordan’s King Abudullah II, who has allowed the deployment of U.S. defensive weapons along the Jordanian-Syrian border.
The Pentagon announced that it will leave a squadron of F-16 fighters and Patriot missiles in the country, following the conclusion of joint U.S.-Jordanian military drills this week.
The decision prompted "speculation that a no-fly zone [over Syria] is being prepared," according to The Washington Post.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
......
