The Syrian war caused an unusual sandstorm in the Middle East

According to Israeli scientists, last month's sandstorm in the Middle East was an unusual, man-made phenomenon in Syria and Iraq.

The Syrian war caused sandstorms in the Middle East

Sand storms , also known as dust storms , blew through the Middle East on Sept. 7-9, reducing visibility, affecting traffic and causing thousands of people to be hospitalized due to respiratory problems in many areas. in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and Cyprus.

A dove sits on a wire in a dust storm on September 8 in Beirut, the Lebanese capital.(Photo: Reuters).

According to the Washington Post, researchers at Ben-Gurion University, Israel analyzed sandstorms, which often appear in the spring. However, this year, they discovered that a large amount of sand dust was swept up, far more than the data had been recorded since 1995, and sand also moved at lower altitudes.

Since then, scientists have inferred, this phenomenon must be associated with major changes in the Syrian environment , where agricultural farming occupies the majority, and war has devastated the land.

They found that the properties and intensity of sandstorms are directly related to two factors, one is a sharp decrease in the number of agricultural activities in northern Syria, mainly caused by dams. along the Euphrate River destroyed.

Satellite images show dust storms covering the Middle East on 9/9.(Photo: NASA).

"This process began decades ago," said Professor Arnon Karnieli. "Analysis shows a clear difference in vegetation between the other side of the Turkish border and this Syria side" . The second factor is that military operations have eroded land in Syria.

The civil war turned into a fifth year of heavy influence on Syria, killing more than 300,000 people, 12 million people, nearly half the population, forced to leave their homeland.