Russia tells U.S. to think 'carefully' before hitting Syrian army

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday the United States should carefully consider the consequences of strikes on Syrian army positions because such strikes would obviously threaten Russian servicemen. Commenting on Russia's S-300 air defense complexes recently deployed to Syria, the ministry said in a statement that their crews would hardly have time to detect the exact flight paths of missiles or from what direction they were launched. The ministry also mentioned a more sophisticated air defense system, the S-400, which safeguards Russia's Hmeymim air base in Syria. The Syrian army also has at its disposal efficient air defense systems, including the S-200 and Buk, the Defence Ministry said, adding that their combat readiness has been restored over the past year. (Reporting by Alexander Winning; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov)