A severe snowstorm hit the Levant region, affecting Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories. The storm added a brutal hardship to the millions of Syrians displaced by the crisis in their country.
Snow in ArsalA Syrian child stands in the snow in a refugee camp in the town of Arsal in the Lebanese Bekaa valley on Dec. 13, 2013. Thousands of Syrian refugees living in makeshift camps in Lebanon were weathered a winter storm that brought snow, rain and freezing temperatures to the country.
Snow in DamascusSyrians play in the snow in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 13, 2013 which has been hit by a heavy snowfall. Reports state that main roads into the city were closed and many streets were also impassable. Temperature are below zero Celsius and most Syrians were advised to stay indoors.
Snow in NablusA Palestinian youth makes a snowman in the West Bank town of Nablus, Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. Early snow has surprised many Israelis and Palestinians as a blustery storm, dubbed Alexa, brought gusty winds, torrential rains and heavy snowfall to parts of the Middle East.
Snow in ArsalA general view of a refugee camp in the town of Arsal in the Lebanese Bekaa valley on Dec. 13, 2013. Thousands of Syrian refugees living in makeshift camps in Lebanon were weathered a winter storm that brought snow, rain and freezing temperatures to the country.
Snow in HammanaLebanese men take pictures in front of the icicles in the village of Hammana southeast Beirut, Lebanon, Dec. 12. 2013. According to the Lebanese meteorology Lebanon has been under the effects of a rainstorm for several days, as snow covered most mountain villages with a steep drop in temperature.
Snow in Seelat Al-DaherPalestinians play with the snow in the West Bank village of Seelat Al-Daher near Jenin city, Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. Early snow has surprised many Israelis and Palestinians as a blustery storm, dubbed Alexa, brought gusty winds, torrential rains and heavy snowfall to parts of the Middle East.
Snow in HammanaA Syrian refugee carries branches of firewood during snowfall in the village of Hammana southeast Beirut, Lebanon, Dec. 12, 2013. According to the Lebanese meteorology Lebanon has been under the effects of a rainstorm for several days, as snow covered most mountain villages with a steep drop in temperature.
Snow in ArsalA Syrian child stands in the snow in a refugee camp in the town of Arsal in the Lebanese Bekaa valley on Dec. 13, 2013. Thousands of Syrian refugees living in makeshift camps in Lebanon were weathered a winter storm that brought snow, rain and freezing temperatures to the country.
Snow in QaraounA young Syrian refugee carries a blanket next to a tent in a makeshift refugee camp in the Lebanese village of Qaraoun in the Bekaa Valley, on Dec. 12, 2013. The UNHCR has prepared stockpiles of items including plastic sheeting, floor mats, blankets and mattresses to help refugees whose shelters might be flooded or destroyed by the storm.
Snow in JerusalemPeople build a snowman in front of the Dome of the Rock in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City Dec. 12, 2013.
Snow in JerusalemIsraelis pose for pictures at the Western Wall compound covered in snow in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, Dec. 13, 2013. Reports state that a snow storm crossing Israel has flooded roads, felled trees and delayed public transportation. Severe winter weather is forecast for the coming days.
Snow in JerusalemAn Orthodox Jewish man prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City during a snowstorm Dec. 13, 2013.
Snow in JerusalemAn Orthodox Jew is seen walking in the snow at the Western Wall compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, Dec. 13, 2013. Reports state that a snow storm crossing Israel has flooded roads, felled trees and delayed public transportation. Severe winter weather is forecast for the coming days.
Snow in Jerusalem
An Orthodox Jewish man prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City during a snowstorm Dec. 13, 2013.
Snow in Seelat Al-Daher
Snow in JerusalemOrthodox Jews walk near the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City during a snowstorm Dec. 13, 2013.
Snow in JerusalemSnow falls at night over Jerusalem Dec. 12, 2013.
The snow-capped Dome of the Rock in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City is seen from the Mount of Olives Dec. 12, 2013.
http://www.nydailynews.com/photos/snow-blankets-levant-region-gallery-1.1546752
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Posted: 12/12/13 EST | Updated: 12/12/13 EST
Storm Alexa Increases Syrian Refugees' Misery Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse
Snow and torrential rains are adding to the misery of hundreds of
thousands of Syrian refugees living in refugee camps across the Middle
East.
Storm Alexa pounded Lebanon and northern Syria on Wednesday and
Thursday, toppling tents and flooding many of the refugee camps. The
winter weather also delayed the United Nation's first aid airlift into
the war-torn country, the Agence France Press notes. "For the hundreds
of thousands of refugees in Lebanon, as well as those in neighboring
countries and the displaced in Syria, a storm like this creates immense
additional hardship and suffering," said Amin Awad, director of UNHCR's Middle East and North Africa bureau.
In Jordan, the snowstorm hit the massive Zaatari refugee camp, where
more than 120,000 Syrians have sought shelter in the previous months.
The Associated Press reports that the winter weather in the country is expected to continue through Friday, and possibly Saturday morning.
The photos below highlight the devastation Alexa caused across the
Middle East and the horrific consequences of the winter weather for
hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.
A young Syrian refugee carries a blanket next to a tent in a makeshift refugee camp in the Lebanese village of Qaraoun in the Bekaa Valley, on Dec. 12, 2013. (MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP/Getty Images)
Syrian refugee children stand at the entrance of their make-shift house during a storm in the Dalhamiyyeh camp for Syrian refugees in the Lebanese Bekaa valley, on Dec. 11, 2013. (-/AFP/Getty Images)
A Syrian refugee boy stands outside his tent as a heavy snowstorm batters the region, in a camp for Syrians who fled their country's civil war, in the Bekaa valley, eastern Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. (AP Photo)
A Syrian refugee shovels snow following a storm in the town of Arsal in the Lebanese Bekaa valley on Dec. 12, 2013. (-/AFP/Getty Images)
A Syrian woman shovels snow following a storm in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on Dec. 12, 2013. (/AFP/Getty Images)
Syrian refugee kids walk outside their shack in a shanty town on the outskirts of the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli on Dec. 12, 2013. (IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP/Getty Images)
A Syrian refugee cleans the mud outside a tent at a makeshift camp in the village of Kfarkahel, in the Kura district near the northern city of Tripoli, on Dec. 11, 2013. (IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP/Getty Images)
