- 13:50
As if Lebanon hadn’t endured enough “quakes,” residents of Beirut and Tripoli felt another tremor on Wednesday — a 5.2-magnitude earthquake centered near Cyprus, the National Center for Geophysical Research (NCGR) in Bhannes confirmed.
The tremor, which struck the Mediterranean Sea, briefly terrified residents along Lebanon’s coast, with minor aftershocks reported in several regions. Turkey’s Emergency Agency also confirmed the earthquake’s magnitude.
In Beirut, Civil Defense teams were immediately mobilized to ensure residents’ safety, as many people left their homes fearing further tremors. The General Directorate of Civil Defense said that teams conducted field inspections in Tripoli and other affected areas, assisting displaced individuals who sought temporary refuge at the Rashid Karami International Exhibition Center. Authorities emphasized that they remain fully prepared for any further seismic activity.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, the quake occurred approximately 20 kilometers northeast of Paphos, Cyprus, on Wednesday morning. While it caused only limited damage in Lebanon, it served as a stark reminder of the region’s seismic vulnerability.
Experts explain that earthquakes occur when underground stress builds due to the slow movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates. “The Earth’s crust is divided into large plates that constantly shift over the semi-fluid mantle beneath them,” a geologist and geography professor, speaking on condition of anonymity, told This is Beirut. “When stress exceeds the friction holding the rocks together, the rocks break or slip suddenly, releasing massive energy in the form of seismic waves — resulting in an earthquake.”
While Wednesday’s earthquake caused no reported casualties, authorities and geologists warn that Lebanon’s location along the complex tectonic boundaries of the Eastern Mediterranean makes it susceptible to both local and distant seismic events.
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