3.9 on Richter scale. (Illustration)
Photo: Reuters
Quakes in Lebanon shake Israel
Country's residents shaken by four moderate earthquakes measuring from 3.9 to 4.2 on Richter scale; no injuries or damage reported
Four separate earthquakes shook Israel on Thursday. Ynet received calls from residents living in the northern and central areas of the country who said they felt the quakes. No injuries or damage have been reported, however.
The Geophysical Institute of Israel (GII) stated that the first quake, which occurred at about 4 pm, measured 3.9 on the Richter scale, and that it originated in southern Lebanon. GII Director Rami Hopshteter told Ynet that "this was a moderate earthquake, with enough power to be felt by the northern settlements near the border."
Three other quakes took place between 6:40 and 6:43 pm, ranging from 3.8 to 4.2 on the Richter scale. A Nahariya resident told Ynet, "I felt the earthquake. It wasn't like the one that happened two hours ago, but much stronger. Our apartment is on the fourth floor and the entire house shook. The computer and TV screens shook, the couch shook, I have never felt such a thing before. My daughter who lives in Nahariya also called in a fright." Another resident said the quake lasted 10 to 15 seconds.
The region was also shaken last month, by a quake that originated in Lebanon and measured 3.3 on the Richter scale. Three months ago an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale was also felt throughout the country, the strongest quake that had been felt in Israel in the past few years.
A few days beforehand, a quake measuring 4 on the Richter scale, which originated in the same area of Lebanon, shook the north of Israel and could be felt from the Galilee city of Kiryat Shmona all the way south to Jerusalem.
