Snow is causing an avalanche of suffering in the Middle East

Snow covers the Roman historic site of Baalbek in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley. AFP

The only things coming thicker and faster than the snowfall witnessed across much of the Middle East this week are photographs of it. The flurry of attention is understandable; while the region gets some snow every year, recent blankets have covered areas where it is far less common. Even cities used to freezing weather got a much heavier rate.

In Iraq’s Kurdistan autonomous region, revellers danced around a fire; in Lebanon, cedar trees were blanketed, as were the Roman ruins at Baalbek; in Istanbul, children slid through the streets of Kucukcekmece on sleds. And near the western Saudi city of Tabuk, friends drank tea and started a snow fight.

A snow-clad village in the Chouf district of Mount Lebanon governorate, about 52km south-east of Beirut. AFP

Cedar trees are blanketed in snow in Lebanon. AFP

A man walks in the snow in Erbil, Iraq. AP Photo

Snow fills the air in Erbil. AP Photo

Israel's border with Syria is covered with snow, near the Druze town of Masada. AFP

Syrians drive their cars on a street as snow falls over Damascus. AFP

A child removes snow from the top of a tent at a camp for internally displaced people in the northern Aleppo countryside, Syria. Reuters

A child stands in the snow in Salat Zagrous, a camp for internally displaced people, in northern Syria. EPA

A camp for internally displaced people in the town of Raju in the rebel-controlled northern countryside of Syria's Aleppo province. AFP

Children at a camp for internally displaced people in Raju have fun in the snow. AFP

A windy day in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

Reindeer in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights. AFP

The Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. AFP

The Roman ruins at Baalbek in the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. AFP

Snow-covered houses in the town of Sohmor, western Bekaa, Lebanon. Reuters

Amadiyah, a town built 1,400 metres above sea level and located about 75km north of the city of Dohuk, in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region. AFP

Snow-covered mountains around the town of Amadiyah. AFP

Iraqi Kurds perform a traditional dance near Safin Mountain, close to the city of Irbil, the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdish autonomous region. AFP

Israeli armored corps soldiers, fix their tank chains during snowstorm near the Israel-Syrian border in the annexed Golan Heights, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams. EPA

Children slide on the snow at the Kucukcekmece district in Istanbul. AFP

A child plays with a cat in a snowy park near of the Suleymaniye mosque in Istanbul. AFP

A young Syrian boy clears the snow covering a tent at a camp for internally displaced people, near the city of Jisr al-Shugur on the border with Turkey, in the Idlib governorate of northwestern Syria. AFP

Pictures of children playing in the snow also came out of Syria, but in a far grimmer setting: a camp for internally displaced people in Raju. Accompanying images captured children removing snow from the tops of tents in which they were living; last week, a child died and their mother was put in intensive care after the roof of the shelter in which they were staying collapsed under the weight of snowfall. In Aleppo province, two other children are reported to have died as a result of freezing temperatures. According to the UN, at least 22 sites in Aleppo and nine in Idlib have been affected, a crisis touching 429 displaced families.

In Jordan, authorities are on alert to deal with plunging temperatures. Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh has highlighted the need to have enough blankets for Syrian refugee camps in his country, and prepare for the possibility of flash floods within them.

The cold does not just pose a danger to those who are displaced. Muhammad Addali, who lives in the Lebanese town of Fneidek, spoke to The National about how the country’s economic crisis is hampering his ability to heat his home, where he lives with his family, including a four-month-old baby. “I broke two doors in my house to burn for heating”, he said.

Even in capital cities people are suffering. In Baghdad, temperatures are reaching close to 0°C at night. This is the same city that saw record summer highs in 2020, reaching almost 53°C. In both seasons, frequent power cuts that can last most of the day make it intolerably difficult to heat or cool homes. Vulnerable communities across the Arab world, particularly in countries impacted by conflict, are suffering from similarly extreme conditions.

A woman takes a selfie in front of the Dome of the Rock, on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount on a snowy morning in Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters

Children build a snowman in front of the Dome of the Rock. Reuters

Another snowman after a snowstorm near the Jaffa gate. EPA

The picturesque scene after snowfall near Jaffa gate in Jerusalem. The winter storm called 'Elpis' has also affected Turkey and Greece. EPA

Residents were advised to avoid travelling around Jerusalem as bulldozers were working to remove the deeper lying snow. EPA

Elpis blew cold and windy weather into much of Israel. AP

Many schools were closed after the heavy snowfall. Reuters

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man carries a Torah scroll at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Reuters

A man shovels snow at Damascus gate. Reuters

The wintry weather led to poor visibility in the old town. AP

But people were outside enjoying the snow. AP

Jerusalem after the snowstorm, as seen from the Mount of Olives. Reuters

Ultra-Orthodox Jews walk unsteadily on snow-covered ground at the Western Wall. AP

Children kick snow by the Dome of the Rock. Many of them were delighted that schools were closed. Reuters

The situation affecting refugees, impoverished workers in rural areas and city-dwellers is a reminder of how short-term, flash events can exacerbate unsolved longstanding problems. The danger posed by fragile tents during snowstorms would not be an issue if more had been done during the past 10 years to house refugees. Baghdad would not be so cold if politicians had focussed minds earlier on fixing the country’s collapsing electricity network, and people would not be burning household items in Lebanon if the economy was not so much the victim of corruption and chronic mismanagement.

On a global level, an increase in storms, floods, snow and drought, all of which the Middle East suffered in 2021, must be a call to take the climate crisis seriously.

Snow is a joyous novelty for the region, and people should celebrate pictures of its wintry beauty, from Egypt to Iraq. Amid the excitement, however, it is worth remembering that in the valleys bordering blanketed mountains, people, many of whom were already dealing with enough hardship, might be finding themselves in a fight for survival. They must be provided with all the help and support possible.