Israel was hit with another minor earthquake late Wednesday afternoon at 4:58 p.m. southeast of Ariel, less than 24 hours after the earthquake that occurred on Tuesday night at 11:14 pm.

The IDF’s Home Front Command stated: “An earthquake occurred at 16:58 Israeli time with a magnitude of 3.3, 20 kilometers southeast of Ariel. An earthquake warning was not activated as it did not endanger Israeli residents.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Channel 13 News reported that in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria that was also felt in Israel, the government decided to establish a ministerial committee for homefront preparedness this coming Sunday.

A special discussion on the matter was held at the National Security Headquarters on Tuesday evening. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu requested that the National Security Council present the current situation regarding Israel’s preparedness for an earthquake scenario. Following the initial discussion, it was decided to immediately establish the Ministerial Committee on Homeland Preparedness – to be headed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Earlier on Tuesday evening, UTJ MK Yaakov Asher, chairman of the Knesset’s Interior Committee, called for the establishment of a cabinet to deal with the issue: “I call on the Prime Minister to urgently establish an emergency cabinet to deal with the country’s preparation for earthquakes,” he said. “Over half of the vulnerable buildings are in the periphery that could be damaged by an earthquake.”

On Monday, the head of the National Emergency Authority in the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General (res.) Yoram Laredo, warned in an interview with Reshet Bet that an earthquake could occur in Israel in the coming year. “We’ve defined 2023 as the year of the tremor,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, the earthquake could happen at any moment.”

Laredo added that the Emergency Authority is preparing for an event like the deadly earthquake that happened in Turkey and Syria with chalilah a high number of fatalities.  “We are preparing to deal with a deadly and destructive event,” he said.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)