Israel's Sea of Galilee has turned blood-red, in what some locals have claimed is a sign of a looming apocalypse.
Witnesses at the biblical body of water said crimson waves had washed ashore - sparking speculation over a "divine warning".
While on social media, believers drew parallels between the sea's new colour and the biblical account of the 10 Plagues visited upon Egypt.
The scriptural account of the plagues details how God afflicted Egypt to secure the Israelites' freedom from bondage.
ISRAEL NATURE AND PARKS AUTHORITY
|Israel's Sea of Galilee has turned blood-red
After the waters turned to blood, killing fish and poisoning drinking supplies, Egypt endured nine more plagues including infestations of frogs, gnats and flies, livestock pestilence, boils, devastating hail, locusts, three days of darkness - and, ultimately, the death of all firstborn sons.
Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection, however, has provided reassurance about the new "Red Sea" - and has said the colour change was to a natural algal bloom.
The ministry confirmed that Botryococcus braunii, a green microalga, is responsible for the transformation.
This organism generates red pigmentation when exposed to strong sunlight conditions.
And further analysis conducted by the Kinneret Research Laboratory has established that the algae poses no danger to public health.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
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Officials have even said that swimming is safe, despite the water's disturbing appearance.
No adverse health effects or allergic responses have been documented among individuals who have come into contact with the discoloured water.
The lake holds profound religious importance for both Christian and Jewish communities, serving as the location for numerous miracles attributed to Jesus.
These include his walking on water, the feeding of the 5,000, and Peter's extraordinary catch of fish.
The Sea of Galilee was also where Jesus recruited his first disciples - Peter, Andrew, James and John.
For many believers, the red waters evoke the first plague described in Exodus, where Moses struck the Nile with his staff at divine command.
"Thus says the Lord: By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood," reads Exodus 7:17-21.
This isn't the first instance of waters turning red in the Holy Land.
In 2021, a pool near the Dead Sea in Jordan's Moab area exhibited similar discolouration, raising eyebrows thanks to Moab's association with the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.