Two earthquakes centered in Cyprus were felt in Israel on Wednesday. The first tremor occurred at 11:31 a.m. and was felt in northern parts of the country. According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the epicenter was near Paphos, Cyprus, at a depth of 21 kilometers, with a magnitude of 5.2.
A second quake was felt at 4:25 p.m. in both northern and central Israel from the same epicenter and with a magnitude of 5.9.
Following the first tremor, residents of Haifa, Tiberias, Nazareth, and other towns — including in central Israel — reported feeling the quake. Residents of Safed also said they felt the tremor. “The kitchen table moved,” one resident said.
Israel’s Geological Survey confirmed that a quake had been felt in the country and noted that a 4.7-magnitude aftershock also struck near Paphos.
In Cyprus, residents in the capital Nicosia and other cities reported feeling the quake as well. There were no reports of injuries or damage. The tremor was also felt in Lebanon.
The most recent earthquake felt in Israel before this occurred in June, when a 6.2-magnitude quake struck near the Greece-Turkey border. About two weeks earlier, two 6.0-magnitude quakes were felt in Israel, both with epicenters near Crete.