Earthquake (illustration)
Earthquake (illustration)iStock

Dr. Ariel Heiman, a geologist and expert on earthquakes, on Thursday discussed the earthquakes that have struck northern Israel in the past 24 hours.

"There is a constant reason for concern: Earthquakes are taking place under our feet all the time. Most of them are weak and we do not feel them. Sometimes they are stronger and we feel them. We are located along the Syrian-African rift, and there is movement and friction that cause earthquakes,” Heiman said in an interview on Kol Barama radio.

At the same time, he warned that "a very strong earthquake in the State of Israel is not a question of if, but a question of when."

Heiman noted that "the last strong tremor along the rift was in 1995 and we do not remember it so much because it was a little far from us. Its magnitude was 7.0."

"The earthquakes that have been happening in the past two days have occurred in the same area in recent years. You cannot predict them,” he added.

At least four earthquakes, measuring between 3.2 and 4.3 on the Richter scale, were felt in northern Israel on Wednesday.

There were no reports of injuries or damages from any of the earthquakes.

Last November, Israelis across the country felt an earthquake which originated on the Iraq-Iran border.

In January 2017, an earthquake that originated near the eastern shores of Crete was also felt in Israel.

In November of 2016, an earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale which struck southern Lebanon was also felt in northern Israel, in cities such as Tzfat and Kiryat Shmona.