ORAC and ImageGear,
I read the original post as referring to British aircraft, both in the fact of its timing relative to the House of Commons vote and its reference to "boys and girls" - not a term we would normally use to talk about the Russians. Obviously Russian pilots bombing the "moderate" rebels in the west of Syria will be operating close to Israeli and Lebanese airspace, but our aircrew will be operating over ISIL territory and unconcerned with our defensively-minded chums in Israel. The isolated ISIL pocket near Damascus is over 50 miles from the border, and that's room enough even for the lumbering old GR4 to make a turn!