Occupied Jerusalem: A heavy winter storm descended on parts of the Middle East on Friday, with snow forcing the closure of all roads leading in and out of occupied Jerusalem and sprinkling Israel’s desert with a rare layer of white.
Snow also fell in parts of the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria as a cold front swept through the region.
The Holy Land’s ancient sites were picture-postcard pretty. Snow capped the golden Dome of the Rock, dusted Al Buraq Wall and blanketed the Nativity Church in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
“It’s a magic wonderland,” said Miriam Leibowitz, a resident, as she reached a snow-filled city park with her family. “In the middle of [occupied] Jerusalem we felt like we’re in Switzerland.”
Occupied Jerusalem municipality spokeswoman Brachie Sprung said 25 centimetres of snow were dumped on the city, with 10 centimetres more forecasted for later in the day.
Occupied Jerusalem’s light rail tram service was shut down after two trams, making dry runs without passengers, were derailed overnight due to the heavy snow, tram spokesman Ozel Vatik said.
Israeli desert towns of Dimona, Yerucham and Arad woke up to a layer of white while in Arad, residents proudly showed off a snowman.
The Syrian capital of Damascus and surrounding mountains were covered with snow, and in neighbouring Lebanon, the snowstorm closed most mountain roads, isolating dozens of villages.
The Beirut-Damascus highway was closed since late Thursday and the Lebanese fire department urged people to stay at home.
In the Jordanian capital of Amman, snow paralysed most streets, and in Gaza, heavy rains that started on Thursday have been forecast for the rest of the week.
In Egypt, strong winds and heavy rain shut down the Mediterranean port of Al Arish, reported the state Mena news agency.
