Rare snow blankets Libya's eastern region

The Green Mountain in northeastern Libya was blanketed white this week as snow fell in the area for the first time in 15 years.

The rare flurry began on Monday and is expected to continue for at least two more days.

Families from the Sidi Mohamed Al-Hamri area put on warm clothes and headed out to pelt each other with snowballs, build snowmen, and enjoy the wintry scenery.

Local resident Muhammad Saleh said he hoped the unusual weather heralded a brighter future for the country.

"We hope the snowfall will be a good sign for our homeland by unifying our institutions and unifying our homeland," Saleh said.

Temperatures near and below zero were recorded on Monday in the cities of Al-Bayda, Yefren, Nalut and Al-Marj, as well as Green Mountain and the Nafusa Mountain, according to the Libyan National Meteorological Center.