Snow blankets parts of the Middle East - in pictures

Snowfall covered areas in the region it has not reached in years, disrupting traffic, school and vaccination campaigns

A young Syrian girl runs on a snow-covered street in the Jabal Al Zawiya region in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's Idlib province, on February 17, 2021. AFP

A man pushes a large snowball in front of the Blue Mosque on February 17, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. An overnight cold snap brought heavy snowfall to Istanbul in the early morning, causing traffic disruptions. Getty Images

A woman takes a photo in the snow at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's old city on February 17, 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel, as wintery weather hits the country. Getty Images

A Syrian man rides a motorcycle among groves covered with snow in the Jabal al-Zawiya region in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's Idlib province, on February 17, 2021. AFP

People play by the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Jews as Temple Mount and to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary during a snowy morning in Jerusalem's Old City, on February 18, 2021. Reuters

An ultra-orthodox man and his sons build a snowman in Sacher Park in Jerusalem, Israel, 18 February 2021. EPA

Israeli youths throw snowballs on cars in a main street in north Jerusalem neighbourhood, on February 17, 2021. EPA

A man looks on as snows falls in an alley of Jerusalem's Old City, February 17, 2021. Reuters

Aysegul Cepoglu, rear, and Ahmet Efe Isik slide down the hill at snow-blanketed Seymenler Park, in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, February 17, 2021. AP Photo

Children play in the snow in front of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque on February 17, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. Getty Images

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