A series of strong earthquakes struck multiple regions across the globe within 12 hours, with the strongest a magnitude 6.5 earthquake off the coast of the southern Philippines.

The USGS recorded 11 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or higher during the period, affecting countries across Asia, Oceania, Central America and the Caribbean. The events ranged from magnitude 4.6 to 6.5, highlighting the concentration of seismic activity along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates frequently interact.

The largest event was a magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck 34 kilometres west-southwest of Sarangani, Philippines , at a depth of 42 kilometres.

The quake occurred in a region that is among the world's most seismically active due to the interaction of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The USGS assigned the event a Green PAGER alert, indicating that widespread fatalities or major economic losses were unlikely.

The tremor came less than three weeks after a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Mindanao on June 8, underscoring the region's continued seismic activity.

Japan recorded two earthquakes exceeding magnitude 5 during the same period.

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near Yokoshiba at a depth of 43 kilometres, followed later by a magnitude 5.7 event near Oshino at 50.9 kilometres depth, according to the USGS.

Japan sits atop the convergence of four major tectonic plates and experiences thousands of earthquakes each year, making it one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.

Elsewhere, the USGS recorded:

Most of these earthquakes occurred along active plate boundaries, particularly around the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped belt that accounts for roughly 90% of the world's earthquakes and about 75% of active volcanoes, according to the USGS.

Why earthquakes cluster along the Ring of Fire

The Ring of Fire stretches around the Pacific Ocean through the Americas, East Asia and Oceania. Continuous movement of tectonic plates causes frequent earthquakes as plates collide, separate or slide past one another.

Countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand routinely experience significant seismic activity because they lie directly on these plate boundaries.

Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the Franco-Italian Summit in Antibes on Thursday, Meloni responded to comments made earlier this week by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

“We did not participate in the conflict in Iran ,” Meloni said at a joint press conference with Macron. “Clearly, by providing the bases for activities that were not kinetic but were of a logistical and technical nature.”

Rutte had said on Tuesday that around 500 US aircraft involved in Operation Epic Fury against Iran had departed from American military bases in Italy.

Meloni disputed that account, saying Italy only permitted logistical and technical activities and refused requests related to combat operations.

"When requests were made that went beyond that perimeter, we did not grant the use, the authorisation," she said.

She added that the issue had already been clarified with the Iranian government .

"The secretary-general, in his enthusiastic reconstruction, mixed together things that are actually different from each other, confusing the types of flights authorised, and he then corrected and clarified himself," Meloni said.

The remarks followed renewed criticism from US President Donald Trump , who said allies had failed to contribute enough during the conflict.

Beyond the Iran issue, Meloni and Macron announced plans to work toward creating a multinational coalition to replace the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

Macron said the proposed mechanism would help ensure Lebanon does not become a "starting point of a new regional escalation."

The leaders made the remarks during the 36th Italy-France Intergovernmental Summit in southern France.