Earthquake shakes Beirut and surrounding regions

Late Monday night, just minutes before midnight, a seismic tremor was felt across Beirut and the surrounding areas. 

According to the National News Agency (Ani), the tremor occurred around 11:56 PM and was experienced by residents in Beirut, Metn, and several regions in the North, extending to Hermel in the Bekaa Valley.

The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center initially reported on X (formerly Twitter) that an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 on the Richter scale had occurred in Syria, near Hama. However, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), as cited by Reuters, later revised the magnitude down to 4.8, noting that the quake affected Syria and Jordan. 

The epicenter was located 10 kilometers beneath the earth's surface. The tremor was also felt in Cyprus, according to the National Observatory of Athens.

Reuters further reported that the Syrian Civil Defense, operating in opposition-held areas of the war-torn country, had deployed teams in several locations to respond to any potential emergencies but had not received reports of damage as of yet. In Lebanon, social media and various news outlets shared accounts from residents who felt the tremor.

This event recalls the devastating earthquake in February 2023, which ravaged large areas of Syria and Turkey, causing tens of thousands of casualties. That earthquake was also strongly felt in Lebanon.