On Monday, a sandstorm caused parts of the Cizire region in north-eastern Syria to disappear under a thick blanket of dust. The grey air made residential and commercial buildings barely visible from a few hundred metres away.

The Ecology Committee of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) spoke of dusty surface winds with limited horizontal visibility in various areas of Cizire. In Heseke, some people had to be treated in hospitals due to respiratory problems. The local government asked the population to stay at home as far as possible and to wear protective clothing and goggles outside.

Intense heat and low rainfall due to climate change trigger more frequent sandstorms in northern and eastern Syria, especially in spring and autumn. In May, seven people were killed in a severe sandstorm in Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria.