Beirut  - An earthquake struck southern Lebanon Friday afternoon, causing panic among the residents, Lebanese police said.

The quake, which was felt at around 1200 GMT, was also detected in northern Israel. No information is available yet on the precise magnitude.

Residents in the southern port city of Tyre and Nabatiyeh felt the earth moving for several seconds.

"We felt the earth moving under our feet and we all rushed outside the house into the street," said a resident of Tyre.

There were no reports of injuries.

The Geophysical Institute of Israel (GII) confirmed that an earthquake had taken place.

According to radio reports the Israeli Health Ministry director-general had recently sent letters to medical facilities in northern Israel, warning them that Geophysical Institute believes a large quake may hit the area soon.(dpa)

A moderate quake was felt across Israel and Lebanon about a year ago, measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was recorded in Lebanon.