Dutch scientist Frank Hoogerbeets predicted on Thursday that an earthquake measuring between 6 and 7 on the Richter scale could strike the Dead Sea region, following last week’s tremor in Lebanon and Syria.

In a post on X, he said: “With the recent mild tremor that struck Lebanon and Syria, the region is witnessing a noticeable increase in seismic activity. Based on historical events, the Dead Sea Transform fault has the potential to cause an earthquake with a magnitude ranging between 6 and 7.”

Earlier today, the Jordanian Seismological Observatory, affiliated with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, recorded a 4-magnitude tremor in Ghor Al-Safi near the Dead Sea. Ghassan Sweidan, head of the observatory, said: “The earthquake occurred at exactly 10 a.m. at a depth of 17 kilometers.”

With the recent small Lebanon/Syria tremor, there's a notable seismic increase in the region. Based on historical events, the Dead Sea transform fault has the potential for a magnitude 6-7 earthquake. https://t.co/A4o3g6Xydd

— Frank Hoogerbeets (@hogrbe) January 15, 2026

Last Saturday, just hours after Hoogerbeets warned that unusual seismic activity in the Ionian Sea could foreshadow an earthquake, Beirut and its surroundings were shaken by a tremor measuring 3.3, according to Lebanon’s National Center for Geophysics, while global monitoring centers estimated its magnitude at around 4.