In 1759 the Levant was struck by two major earthquakes — the 30 October 1759 Safed earthquake and the 25 November 1759 Baalbek earthquake — both of which were widely felt along the Syrian and Palestinian coast. Contemporary reports from the period indicate that Beirut suffered limited damage during this earthquake sequence. A letter from the French Consulate in Saida [Sidon] written in December 1759 notes that the earthquake was felt in Beirut "but with less damage".