Eilat, southern Israel's 4.5 magnitude earthquake forces Ramon Airport to briefly halt operations

Earthquake alerts were activated in Eilat and other southern Israel locations after a 4.5 earthquake was detected on Wednesday, in the area of the the Red Sea and the Gulf of Eilat.

Alerts were sounded in Eilat, Eilot, Be'er Ora, Elifaz, the Timna Mines, and the Shahoret Industrial Zone.

According to preliminary data from the Geological Survey of Israel, the earthquake's epicenter was near Taba in southern Sinai, approximately 224 kilometers from Israel.

The earthquake was initially estimated at magnitude 4.4 and a depth of 8 kilometers, but the Energy and Infrastructure Ministry later updated it to 4.5, citing the Geological Survey of Israel.

The Ramon Airport was evacuated upon receiving the alert. The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) later announced that flight activity has been suspended until the airport is fully inspected and infrastructure checks are completed to ensure aviation safety.

No injuries or damage have yet been reported to emergency services.

The IDF announced that the details are under investigation.

Olga, an employee at the Club Hotel, told Maariv that "Security just announced that everything is fine. Everyone went into the safe room. Personally, I didn't feel anything. Nothing moved. I'm on the ground floor."

Hava, an employee at the Dan Hotel, said that she "personally didn't feel anything. We heard a Red Alert siren. Everyone is fine; we're at the hotel."

This is a developing story.

Rami Shani, Avi Ashkenazi, and Yuval Bagno contributed to this report.

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