A 5.1-magnitude earthquake reportedly struck northern Iran on Friday amid ongoing military strikes from Israel.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, about 37 kilometers southwest of Semnan.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported a slightly stronger magnitude of 5.2.
The tremor was also felt in the capital, Tehran, though initial reports suggest no major damage was recorded.
Of particular concern is the earthquake’s proximity to Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment facility in Qom Province.
While there were no immediate reports of structural impact on the facility, the coincidence of a natural tremor near a key nuclear site raised eyebrows as military tensions remain high.
The earthquake struck around the same time Israeli airstrikes reportedly hit Magar, an Iranian air defense site in Behmai province in the southwest.
According to Israeli outlet ynetnews.com, the strike was part of a broader campaign to neutralize missile threats against Israel.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed responsibility for the strike, stating that it destroyed three surface-to-surface missile launchers poised to fire toward Israel.
In a post on social media, the IDF also claimed it had eliminated a group of Iranian soldiers, including a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) overseeing 15 missile launchers in western Iran.
“A ‘cell’ of Iranian commanders and soldiers was also eliminated, the IDF claimed in the tweet. “Additionally, a Remotely Piloted Aircraft identified a group of Iranian soldiers, including an IRGC base commander in western Iran responsible for 15 missile launchers, en route to carry out a launch. The cell was eliminated,” the IDF stated.
See below;
