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Earthquake Hits Northern Iran Amid Israeli Missile Strikes

The 5.1-magnitude quake occurred Friday night in the northern part of the country.

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit northern Iran Friday night, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed, amid Israel’s continued airstrikes in the country. The quake struck east of Tehran and about 22 miles southwest of Semnan at 9:19 p.m. local time. Semnan happens to house the Semnan Missile Complex and the Semnan Space Center. Meanwhile, Israel and Iran have traded missile strikes for the past week. Iran struck several cities in Israel Friday, according to Israeli broadcasters. Iran’s state broadcaster said overnight strikes by Israel targeted an industrial complex in its northern provinces, one of which is Semnan. Diplomats from Europe and Iran met Friday in Switzerland to seek to avoid further escalations, but the talks reportedly ended without making headway. President Donald Trump on Thursday set a two-week deadline for his decision to bring U.S. forces in to help Israel target Iran’s military and nuclear sites, amping up pressure on its leaders to make sufficient concessions.