Understanding No-Fly zones over Syria

FARAI CHIDEYA of Five Thirty Eight Made an interesting point about No-Fly Zones over Syria.
From the Presidential Debate. October 9th, 2016


Hillary Clinton:


"Russia hasn't paid any attention to ISIS. They're interested in keeping Assad in power. So I, when I was secretary of state, advocated and I advocate today a no-fly zone and safe zones. We need some leverage with the Russians, because they are not going to come to the negotiating table for a diplomatic resolution, unless there is some leverage over them. And we have to work more closely with our partners and allies on the ground."



In one of the latest Clinton emails revealed by Wikileaks, she said in 2013:

“To have a no-fly zone you have to take out all of the air defenses, many of which are located in populated areas. So our missiles, even if they are standoff missiles so we’re not putting our pilots at risk — you’re going to kill a lot of Syrians.” Tonight, she reiterated her support for a no-fly zone.