Dutch seismologist Frank Hoogerbeets, who "predicted" an earthquake in Turkey in February 2023, warned of a major earthquake expected in the Middle East in a YouTube video posted on Friday.
According to Hoogerbeets, a planetary alignment involving Mercury, Earth, Mars, and other planets on February 24 could bring significant seismic activity, possibly resulting in an earthquake that could reach a magnitude of 7.8 or higher.
“It is not unthinkable that it could happen in the coming time-frame. I'm not saying that it will happen, but there is the potential. And these atmospheric anomalies are pretty close,” he stated, emphasizing heightened risks in regions such as eastern Turkey and Iran, where earthquakes of 6 to 7 magnitude are possible.
“It does not happen often, but if you are in Iran, be on extra alert as well,” he added.
Israeli earthquake experts emphasized that preparations for a major earthquake should rely on established geological data rather than on speculative or astrological methods, Maariv reported.
Earthquake prediction in Turkey
Hoogerbeets, who works for the Solar System Geometry Survey (SSGS) in the Netherlands, went viral in 2023 after posting on X/Twitter his prediction for an earthquake in Turkey, a previous article from The Jerusalem Post reported.
"Sooner or later, there will be a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in this region (South-Central Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon)."
After Hooogerbeets' prediction went viral, he reacted to the earthquake and said: "As I stated earlier, sooner or later this would happen in this region, similar to the years 115 and 526. These earthquakes are always preceded by critical planetary geometry, as we had on 4-5 February."