A 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck central Syria late on Monday, with tremors also felt in neighboring Lebanon, according to official media reports from both countries. Journalists from AFP in Beirut and Damascus confirmed they experienced the quake. The UAE's National Seismic Network, operated by the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), recorded the event at 12:56 AM UAE time. Syria's state-run SANA news agency, citing Raed Ahmed of the National Earthquake Centre, reported the quake hit east of Hama city at 11:56 PM. The United States Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 5.0. Lebanon's National News Agency noted that residents in Beirut and other areas felt a light tremor at the same time. This recent event comes after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6, 2023, which claimed nearly 60,000 lives in Turkey and Syria. Syrian authorities reported over 1,400 deaths in government-controlled areas, with more than 4,500 fatalities in opposition-held northwest regions. In northern Syria, under Turkish control, residents panicked and evacuated their homes, still reeling from the trauma of last year's catastrophic quake that destroyed buildings across the north. Damascus resident Roba, who withheld her last name, described the panic triggered by the latest quake, fearing a repeat of the previous disaster that led to buildings collapsing on sleeping individuals. She expressed her reluctance to return to her 11th-floor residence due to the lingering fear.