NNA - Snow has blanketed villages and towns in West Bekaa at elevations above 1,200 meters, our reporter said on Friday, cutting off several areas due to accumulations reaching 25 centimeters. The towns of Deir El-Ashaer, Yanta, Bakka, Kfarqouq, Aiha, and Ain Aata in Rachaya district remain isolated, while Maydoun in West Bekaa is also inaccessible. 

Meanwhile, the Machghara–Jezzine and Machghara–Qob Elias roads, passing through Saghbine, are barely passable.  

Snowplows from the Ministry of Public Works, the Lebanese Army, the Snow Rescue Unit of Al-Ittihad Party, the Islamic Health Authority, and the Islamic Scout Association are working to clear roads and assist residents. 

Rachaya and West Bekaa’s district commissioners, Nabil Al-Masri and Wissam Nasbiyeh, are monitoring the situation through reports from Internal Security Forces stations.  

The heavy snowfall and increased spring activity due to intense rainfall have raised water levels in Lake Qaraoun, which had significantly receded in recent months due to prolonged drought.

======R.H.