'Russia shut its air defense in Syria before US strike'

ANTALYA, Turkey

A Turkish arms industry executive claimed Saturday that Russia had shut down its air defense system in Syria ahead of the U.S. strike on an Assad regime airbase early Friday.

"There is no such thing as Russian air defense systems can’t intercept American missiles," Abdullah Hayri Torun, deputy CEO of major Turkish weapons maker Roketsan, stated at a meeting in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.

Torun said an air defense system can detect missile fire from 400 kilometers away and then destroy the missiles when they get into range.

On Friday, the U.S. fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at Shayrat Airbase from destroyers in the Mediterranean Sea in response to Tuesday's Assad regime chemical attack in the Khan Shaykhun town of Idlib province that left some 100 men, women, and children dead and more than 500 injured.

*Reporting by Fatih Hepokur; Writing by Ilker Girit