Jerusalem - Jerusalem awoke on Tuesday to a blanket of around five centimetres of snow, as the region faced a second rare cold front in less than a month, officials said.

Despite initial fears that the snow would cause major disruption, traffic, schools and public offices in Jerusalem opened after snowploughs cleared most streets in the Holy City.

Thick snowflakes settled on the walls surrounding the Old City and covered the golden Dome of the Rock in the Al-Aqsa compound on Temple Mount.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews with plastic bags covering their tall black hats scurried through the streets of Jerusalem, which were uncommonly traffic-free at rush hour.
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