A heavy snowstorm has shut down roads leading in and out of Jerusalem and covered Israel's desert with a rare layer of white.

Snow has also landed in parts of the West Bank as a cold front swept through the Middle East. In Gaza, heavy rains that started yesterday have been forecast for the rest of the week.

Jerusalem municipality spokeswoman Brachie Sprung says 10 inches of snow have already landed on the city, with more expected to fall.

Desert towns of Beersheba, Dimona and Yerucham were sprinkled with white and residents of Arad proudly showed off a snowman.

Snow has also been falling since Thursday in Lebanon and on Friday, it paralysed most streets in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

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