Iran and Iraq, which both support Russian efforts in the region, may be okay with four Russian cruise missiles slamming into their territory (see below). But what about Turkey? What if Russian cruise missiles strike Turkey by accident? What will be the response of Turkey and NATO? Will Turkey interpret the accident as an attack?

Further, what if Russia deliberately routes cruise missiles intended for Syrian targets through Turkish airspace? Doing so would, of course, constitute a violation of Turkish sovereignty As such, it could be construed as an act of war.

Is Russia willing to risk war with Turkey for the sake of waging war in Syria?

A better question might be: what won’t Russia risk to achieve its aims in the Middle East?

“At least four Russian cruise missiles fired from a ship in the Caspian Sea missed their targets in Syria and instead landed in Iran, U.S. officials have told CNN. It’s not yet clear where they hit or if there were any casualties and neither Russian nor Iranian authorities have confirmed the incident.”

“Russia opened up a new front in its offensive in Syria on Wednesday by launching missiles from ships in the Caspian at targets in Syria more than 900 miles away, crossing Iranian and Iraqi airspace.”

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/10/08/russian_missiles_aimed_at_syria_land_in_iran_instead.html