The sand and dust storms that hit Israel over last week were the worst such storms in the past five years, the Ministry of Environmental Protection reported. The sandstorm, made up of accumulated dust carried from the far reaches of the Sahara Desert in North Africa, also engulfed Cairo.
Transport authorities shut down an airport in a Red Sea resort city of Eilat.
Israeli airport authority said Wednesday morning that flights to and from the airport in Eilat had been grounded due to the weather. The sandstorm also moved through Jerusalem and other parts of Israel, though the country's main international airfield,
Ben Gurion Airport outside of Tel Aviv remained open for flights.
On Tuesday, a strong sandstorm moved through parts of Egypt, temporarily closing Cairo International Airport to incoming flights.
The weather front also caused strong waves to crash into the coast and saw Egypt close two of its seaports. The situation eased at the end of the week as heavy rains began falling, cleansing the air. Light snow fell on Mount Hermon, the Golan Heights, and Galilee peaks as temperatures dropped.
