Syrian soldiers play in the snow at one

Syrian soldiers play in the snow at one of their barracks in the mountenous Metn region, southeast of Beirut, 08 January 2002 in front of portaits of Syria's late president Hafez al-Assad (C)and his sons, the late Bassel, and current president Bashar. A heavy snow storm has hit the region, covering much of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Israel, and the West Bank with a blanket of snow. Syria, the main power-broker in Lebanon, has maintained thousands of troops in the country since 1976, a year after the 1975-90 civil war broke out. AFP PHOTO/Ramzi HAIDAR (Photo credit should read RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP via Getty Images)