The quake, Israel Radio reported, was also felt in Syria and Lebanon. A faded echo of the quake that hit the coast was also felt at the editorial offices of The Jerusalem Post in Jerusalem.

No reports of casualties were received by Magen David Adom offices, but reports that a quake had taken place flooded the hotlines.

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

The Israeli Seismographic Institute has not yet issued its statement on the tremor's Richter rating, but earlier this week, a 4.1 quake was felt around the country.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center said on its Web site that the quake Friday was 5.3 on the Richter scale and that its epicenter was in Lebanon.

The region is long overdue for an earthquake of epic and potentially catastrophic proportions, scientists say.