How does a "no-fly" zone work when somebody starts shooting off serious anti-aircraft missiles, or invites their friends from Russia to come over and help out?
It seems that such a situation could rapidly expand into a much more serious confrontation. What would the USA do if Russia declared a no-fly zone over Syria? And backed it up with a salvo of cruise missiles aimed at the airbases and carriers that our airplanes fly from? Then what would we do?
Frankly, I have been waiting for some time for the Russians and Syrians to reassert Syrian sovereignty over Syrian airspace. I hate No-Fly Zones. They are chicken-sh*t violations of sovereignty that only work on punk-ass countries that can't defend their skies. No one tries that crap on real military powers (or a country protected by a real military power). The Asad government, loathsome as it is, is the recognized Syrian government. So if anyone wants to risk war with Russia over this, let them explain their estimate of the "butcher's bill."
The Russians will block any UNSC Resolution, aptly demonstrating how useless the UN really is.