Beirut on May 16, 2024, as seen from the Seaside Arena. (Photo Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros)
BEIRUT — A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Jordan-Syria region on Tuesday, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) confirmed, as reported by Reuters. GFZ had earlier reported the earthquake as having a 5.46 magnitude before revising it down. The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), the research center added.
Tremors were felt around 11:56 p.m. by residents in Beirut, Metn, and several regions in northern Lebanon, all the way to Hermel, according to the National News Agency (NNA).
The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center indicated on X (formerly Twitter) that an earthquake occurred in Syria, near Hama, with a magnitude of 5.4 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake was reportedly felt in Cyprus as well, according to the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), and in northern Israel, according to Israeli media.
Lebanon and Syria are located directly atop a major "transform fault zone" where two tectonic plates — the African plate to the west and the Arabian plate to the east — are rubbing against each other, according to the NASA Earth Observatory.
Since Aug. 1, there have been two other earthquakes in the region between the magnitude of 4 and 5, both emanating from southern Turkey.
Jordan-Syria region on Tuesday, the German Research Center for
Geosciences (GFZ) confirmed, as reported by Reuters. GFZ had earlier reported the earthquake as having a 5.46 magnitude before revising it down. The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), the research center added. Tremors were felt around 11:56 p.m. by residents...