Minor quake felt in Israel, West Bank; no injuries or damage

A minor earthquake rattled Israel and the northern West Bank early Saturday, the Geological Survey of Israel said. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

The institute said the quake registered a 3.3 magnitude on the Richter scale. The epicenter was in the northern West Bank and came just after 6 a.m.

There were no reports of injuries or damage in the quake.

Experts say such minor quakes are a regular occurrence in Israel, which lies along an active fault line: the Syrian-African rift, a tear in the earth’s crust that runs the length of the border separating Israel and Jordan. Major earthquakes in the area happen on average once every 80 years, though the last occurred over a century ago.

However, the recent deadly quake in Turkey and Syria has drawn renewed scrutiny of Israel’s lack of preparedness for a major quake, with experts warning that hundreds of thousands could be left homeless.