The government of Cyprus said that it is developing a new contingency plan in case a major war erupts in the Middle East. The government believes that a new Middle Eastern crisis will lead to a mass evacuation of civilians and many of them will come to Cyprus.
This is more than a month old, but I'm just reading it now.
Since Britain has bases on Cyprus, I assume the British told the Cypriots to be ready for NATO action against Assad in Syria.
As NATO conducts an air defense suppression mission and then moves to ground attack (I'll guess we're heading in that direction after failing to decisively support rebels with arms, advice, and intelligence when Assad was stretched and reeling), we'll want someplace to house refugees perhaps. I don't know how many Westerners are in Syria and Lebanon who can call on Western powers for help, but it is probably substantial.
I still think Assad is losing his war, but the risk of letting the conflict drag on will risk loose chemical weapons and will soon see casualties exceed the Iraq War--and nobody who hated the Iraq War wants to see that.
