Snow falls have blanketed large areas of the Middle East.

Roads around Jerusalem were blocked by the heaviest fall of snow for six years, public transport was halted and schools were closed.

Other parts of Israel and the West Bank were also affected.

A blizzard swept across Jordan, cutting power lines and leaving motorists stranded.

Amman airport was closed for a time, and some flights were diverted to the airport at the Red Sea resort of Aqaba in southern Jordan.

The Iranian news agency said rescue workers had freed a-hundred-and-fifty people from vehicles stuck on roads around Marivan, near the Iraqi border.

The snow also closed mountain roads in Syria and Lebanon.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
 

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