Earthquake shakes northern coast of Israel

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Several cities along the northern coast of Israel were shaken by an earthquake Friday.

Some of the Israeli cities effected by the quake are Haifa, Tel Aviv and Nahariya, The Jerusalem Post reported Friday.

Parts of Lebanon and Syria also felt the quake and several people were reportedly injured, KUNA reported.

"I was sitting in my house in front of the computer when suddenly everything shook. Stuff fell from the desk. It took my a few seconds to realize this was an earthquake," one witness told Israel Radio.

The quake, which came two days after one in South Lebanon, rated 5.3 on the Richter scale and had its epicenter in Lebanon, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center reported.

Experts said the region is past due for a possibly catastrophic earthquake.