The sky over Cyprus and southern Greece was painted red on Tuesday resembling an imagined colony on Mars, as clouds of dust from the Sahara Desert crossed the Mediterranean Sea.
Tourists and local Athenians flocked to hilltops to view the extraordinary marvel taking photos and videos to post on their social media platforms.
Greek meteorologists said they expected the dust to dissipate by late Wednesday in the southern parts of the country, but it would likely remain in the east for longer. The extreme southernly winds of the past days have already caused some 25 brush fires in the south, a rarity for this time of year.
Israel is also bracing for dust on Wednesday, as cooler air enters in the Afternoon hours, that is expected to linger until the end of the week, mostly in the eastern areas.