In Israel, several hundred people were hospitalized with respiratory problems, according to the Jerusalem Post.
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The air is so dense, and visibility so low, it’s even disrupted the fighting in war-torn Syria.
In Lebanon, at least 160 people were hospitalised yesterday after having breathing difficulties, the Red Cross said.
Local health authorities, meanwhile, are urging members of the public to stay at home as long as the sandstorm persists.
Photo of the dust storm shrouding visibility in Beirut, Lebanon on September 8, 2015.
Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Cyprus have also been affected by the catastrophe, USA Today reported. According to the Cypriot meteorological office, such an intensity of the sandstorm has never been observed before in the area. It’s very rare for this time of year too and it’s covering the entire region.
People were advised to stay indoors, especially pregnant women and elderly, and only to go outside with a face mask on. The ministry also said at least 750 people were being treated in hospital for respiratory problems.
Lucien Bourjeili, one of the protest organisers, said the bad weather may prevent some people from taking to the streets in a major protest planned for Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group, placed the death toll from the sandstorm at six from Hama, the eastern province of Deir al-Zour as well as the southern province of Daraa.
In Syria, the storm reached the capital, Damascus.
A thick cloud of dust enveloped the Middle East on Monday with thousands believed to have been hospitalized because of respiratory problems.
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The interior ministry said that dozens of Syrian refugees who had been rescued from a fishing boat off the coast of Cyprus on Sunday had been moved from a makeshift camp to a better-equipped facility because of the extreme weather.
