Let's look at a map, shall we?!?

Cyprus, is the 3rd largest Mediterranean island - covering 9,251 square kilometers, 240 km from west to east and 96 km from north to south - with a population of approximately 800,000. Being at the cross-roads of three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa - it has one of the oldest histories of the world, dating back 9000 years

Should Netanyahu get a "yes" on this request, it will be a difficult task for Syrian air defenses to really get a bead on where oncoming aircraft is coming from, if Israeli jets are potentially attacking from Cyprus.

And remember: any outside attacks against Syria mean that Iran is treaty bound to come to Syria's aid militarily. That means that Israel and the US have their "justification" for an attack against Iran.