Regional quake: 5.2M earthquake hits northern, central Israel and surrounding countries

A 5.2M earthquake hit central and northern Israel, along with surrounding countries, on Monday night, Israeli media and scientific organizations reported.

According to a walla report, the earthquake in Israel was of magnitude 5.2.

רעידת אדמה במגניטודה 5.2 בשעה 23:56 בסביבת העיר חמה בסוריה הורגשה גם בצפון הארץ. @Tziki_Avisar ציקי אבישר, ראש העיר קרית מוצקין התייחס לרעידה בדף הפייסבוק שלו, "אם חשתם ברעידת אדמה קלה במוצקין אתם לא לבד", וזכה מיד לעשרות תגובות. @WallaNews pic.twitter.com/xYjJppP3C1

— יואב איתיאל מדווח כי (@yoavetiel) August 12, 2024

The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GFZ said.

Regional quake

In Salamiya, a town approximately 30 km (18.5 miles) east of Hama city, residents rushed out into the dark streets out of fear, said Nasser Duyub, a state employee living there.

"My son was sleeping, I don't know how I grabbed him and got out of the house," Duyub told Reuters.

Residents said they saw a balcony collapse and ambulances treating people who had fainted.

Others in Syria said they had immediate flashbacks to 2023, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 50,000 - mostly in Turkey but with thousands also perishing in northern Syria. The quake also left widespread destruction in both countries.

At least 25 people sustained minor to moderate injuries due to stampeding following the earthquake, the Syrian city of Hama's Health Director Maher Younis said early on Tuesday.

"It was the same sound, as if it was coming out of the earth," said Umm Hamzah, a resident of the Syrian capital Damascus. "I got dizzy just like last time, but the scare was worse because I knew what happened the previous quake."

The Syrian civil defense operating in the northern opposition-held areas of the war-torn country said they had deployed to several areas to respond to any prospective emergency, but had not received reports of any damage thus far.

Jordan's state news agency reported a 3.9 magnitude aftershock less than an hour after the initial quake.

Israel's earthquake preparedness

An earthquake was felt three weeks ago in the Dead Sea area and Jerusalem and a 3.8M hit in March.

A State Comptroller report from January warned that Israel was not prepared for a major earthquake, like the ones seen in Morocco, Turkey and Syria last year. 

In September, shortly after a massive earthquake struck Morocco killing 2,800 people, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman released a video in which he said, "Six months ago, it was Turkey. On [Friday], Morocco faced a fatal earthquake. The State of Israel continues to neglect earthquake preparedness despite these stark reminders."

"A strong earthquake in Israel is a matter of time," Englman wrote. "The state is still not adequately prepared for an earthquake event."

60% of Israel's hospitals are not resistant to earthquakes, and only approximately 5% of schools and other educational institutions have been or are being reinforced.

MDA spokesman Zaki Heller commented on the earthquake, saying, "No reports of injuries or damage have been received at MDA's 101 hotline. There are only a few calls from citizens to MDA’s 101 about feelings of anxiety."

Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman contributed to this report.