(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - This zone would stretch up to 25 miles (40 kilometers) into Syria, and would be enforced by warplanes flying inside Jordan and armed with long-distance air-to-air missiles, the Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials.
Military experts have long warned that a no-fly zone would require Western jets to destroy the relatively good air defenses.
But US planners believe this no-fly zone could be imposed in about a month without having to destroy the Syrian antiaircraft batteries.
A no-fly zone is necessary to set up a camp to train rebels, officials said.
“Unless you have a good buffer zone inside Syria, you risk too much," an unnamed US official briefed on the military proposal told the Journal.
This limited no-fly zone would cost about $50 million a day, far less than a Syria-wide no-fly zone. US officials hope that Washington's allies could help cover the cost.
The US planes would fly from Jordan -- where US Patriot missiles and F-16 jet fighters have already been deployed -- and from navy ships in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the Journal reported.
/106
