Heavy snowfall, gales as winter storm hits parts of Middle East

BEIRUT: Snow blanketed parts of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel on Wednesday, blocking roads, disrupting traffic and postponing vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 and even exams at some universities.

Meanwhile, nearly 3.4 million utility customers around the US were still without power on Wednesday in the atermath of a winter storm that overwhelmed power grids unprepared for climate change, and another blast of snow and ice threatened to impede the efforts to restore service.

More than 20 storm-related deaths have been reported since the cold weather arrived

last week, including in traffic accidents in Texas, Kentucky and Missouri.

Large parts of Syria were covered, including the capital of Damascus, which is witnessing this winter’s first snowfall. Snow was as high as 15cm (6 inches) in the mountains of Sweida province, according to the official state news agency SANA. Roads in some provinces were blocked. In the central province of Hama, bulldozers shoveled snow to open roads while vehicles skidded on ice, further causing traffic disruption.

The University of Damascus called off mid-term exams scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in all its branches around Syria because of the extreme weather conditions. The country’s ports remained open.

In neighbouring Lebanon, Storm Joyce hit late on Tuesday with gale force winds registering between 85 km/h and 100 km/h. The storm is expected to get stronger on Thursday.

Breaking a warm spell, the storm brought heavy rainfall, a sharp drop in temperatures and the heaviest snow fall in Lebanon this year. Snow is expected to cover areas of altitudes as low as 400 metres high, according to the meteorological department.

In Jordan, the COVID-19 vaccination drive was suspended due to severe weather conditions. Schools and universities also put off classes.

Osama Al Tarifi, director of the operating room of the Arabia Weather site, said snow has reached 20cm in the mountains of Ajloun in northern Jordan, where snowfall has been non-stop since Tuesday night.

In Libya, snow blanketed the country’s northeast mountains as snowfall continued since Tuesday, covering forests and roads in some areas in the North African country.

In neighbouring Egypt, heavy rain and windy Weather prevailed on Wednesday and was expected to last into Thursday, the country’s meteorological agency said. Authorities in South Sinai province, which includes touristic hubs, canceled touristic activities, including safaris and cruises to Weather the storm.

ISTANBUL: Turkish border guards have detained five Russians, including a woman suspected of being a member the Daesh, and a Libyan who were attempting to cross from Syria, officials said on Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear whether all six were suspected of being members of the extremist group.

“Our border guards stationed in Hatay’s Narlica district (in southern Turkey) caught six people including one Libyan and five Russian nationals who were attempting to illegally cross into Turkey from Syria,” the ministry tweeted in English.

“One of the Russian nationals was a woman identified as a wanted Daesh member,” it said, using an Arabic acronym for the extremist group.

In a separate incident, Turkish authorities this week also arrested a 26-year-old woman with her two children near the Syrian border, accused of links to the IS group.

The woman, who held both New Zealand and Australian passports until Canberra revoked her Australian citizenship last year, sparked a row between the two countries.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday accused Australia of shirking its responsibilities and said it was “wrong” to expect New Zealand to accept the woman.

Turkey has stepped up the fight against Daesh who carried out deadly atacks on its soil, including a mass shooting at an upscale Istanbul nightclub just minutes into the New Year of 2017.

The attack killed 39 people, including 27 foreigners.