3.3-magnitude earthquake rattles northern Israel
Quake felt by residents from Nahariya in west to Metula, Kiryat Shmona in east; no injuries or damage reported
There were no reports of injuries or damage.
GII Director Rami Hofstetter told Ynet that "several low-magnitude quakes have occurred in the Lebanon area recently, and the current quake appears to be part of that series of quakes."
Avi Rahamim of Kiryat Shmona told Ynet, "We were at home during the quake. It lasted several seconds. The perfumes on my wife's cabinet rattled and the house sort of danced. I was lying on the couch and felt it moving forward."
Another Kiryat Shmona resident, Levi Eshkol, said that "the quake lasted a few seconds and we only felt slight movements. It wasn’t scary. Compared to the previous quake it was much lighter and much shorter."
Zviki Bar of Metual said, "My wife and I were sitting by the computer and our daughters were in the living room. Suddenly I began moving with my chair and so did the entire room. We took the girls outside and waited a few minutes.
"The quake itself lasted several seconds, but long ones. It was slightly weaker than the previous quake, when we felt the entire house shaking."
About three months ago, an earthquake registering 5.3 on the Richter Scale was felt by residents across Israel. The trembling lasted for 19 seconds and shook structures in many major towns and cities. There were no injuries, but several people suffered from shock.
The quake's epicenter was located 15 kilometers (10 miles) northeast of the Lebanese town of Tyre, or 70 km (45 miles) northeast of Haifa. It was the strongest quake to hit Israel in a decade.
Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
Initial information received via Red Email
