Photo taken on Dec. 13, 2013 shows a snow-covered street in Jerusalem. A heavy storm in Israel, ongoing for three days straight, has paralyzed the traffic across the country with Tel Aviv's airport shut down and soldiers dispatched to rescue stranded drivers on highways. Police have called on citizens to stay indoors, saying driving on icy highways may be a "real life threat" in what meteorologists dubbed as the strongest snow storm since 1953. Jerusalem is covered with snow and all entry roads are blocked. Army Radio reported that by Friday morning, some 2,300 citizens had been rescued by police and army. Around 40,000 Israeli homes went off the power grid Friday as a rare storm battered the eastern Mediterranean region, Israel Electrical Company said in a statement. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

A man walks past broken branches caused by accummulated snow in Jerusalem, on Dec. 13, 2013. A heavy storm in Israel, ongoing for three days straight, has paralyzed the traffic across the country with Tel Aviv's airport shut down and soldiers dispatched to rescue stranded drivers on highways. Police have called on citizens to stay indoors, saying driving on icy highways may be a "real life threat" in what meteorologists dubbed as the strongest snow storm since 1953. Jerusalem is covered with snow and all entry roads are blocked. Army Radio reported that by Friday morning, some 2,300 citizens had been rescued by police and army. Around 40,000 Israeli homes went off the power grid Friday as a rare storm battered the eastern Mediterranean region, Israel Electrical Company said in a statement. (Xinhua/Li Rui)