A 5.1-magnitude earthquake centered in Cyprus’s Paphos region was felt in northern Israel on Wednesday, the Geological Survey of Israel reported.
Israelis in Haifa, Tiberias, Nazareth, and other northern towns reported feeling the tremor, which caused no injuries or damage, Ynet said.
In September 2023, following a tremor that killed more than 2,000 people in Morocco, Israeli State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said Jerusalem had failed to prepare for a major earthquake.
Englman’s warning came after a report found that 93% of structures awaiting reinforcement in northeastern Israeli cities could collapse in a sufficiently strong earthquake.
Israel has accelerated efforts to improve earthquake preparedness following the devastating February 2023 quakes that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and around 8,500 in Syria.
Israel has a history of earthquakes, with a major one occurring roughly every 100 years. The last significant quake struck in 1927, registering a magnitude of 6.2, killing 284 people and heavily damaging Jerusalem, Jericho, Ramla, Tiberias, and Nablus (Shechem).
