Netanyahu orders NSC to assess earthquake preparedness, with thousands in danger

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi to assess Israel’s preparedness for an earthquake in the wake of the deadly temblor that hit Turkey and Syria.

Hanegbi will convene the meeting as soon as possible, with the participation of all relevant offices, a statement from the PMO says.

The order comes with official reports by the state comptroller and emergency services predicting that some 28,600 homes in Israel are vulnerable to serious damage, Channel 12 says.

The reports predict some 170,000 people could be left homeless, with hundreds dead and several thousand wounded.

Most of these homes are in communities like Tiberias and Beit Sha’an that lie along the seismically active Syrian-African Rift Valley. The region has been girding for a major earthquake for decades