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On February 20, a shallow magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the Turkey-Syria border region, two weeks after larger quakes devastated the area. It was centered in Turkey's southernmost province of Hatay at a depth of 2 km.

The quake hit Defne at 8:04 pm and was strongly felt in Antakya and in Adana, about 200 km to the north. Tremors were strong and lasting, damaging buildings and leaving dust in the night air. Several balconies and walls collapsed.

Turkey's disaster management agency said a magnitude 5.8 quake shook the region several minutes later, centered in Hatay's Samandag district.

Because Hatay is on the Mediterranean Sea, the agency urged people to stay away from the coast and warned the quakes could raise sea level by 50 cm. In Adana, residents fled homes for the streets and carried blankets to cars, where many planned to sleep.

Local media said the tremors were felt in Syria, Jordan, Israel and Egypt. The February 6 earthquakes, which also rocked neighboring Syria, left more than a million people homeless.