A selected dataset of 151 events, leading the July 17--August 9, 2001 lateral eruption at Mt. Etna volcano, has been analyzed for three-dimensional hypocenter locations, focal mechanisms and stress tensor inversions. The seismic pattern provided indications for two main spatial clusters of foci located along and eastwards of the 2001 Mt. Etna eruptive fractures system. The 151 fault plane solutions (mostly strike slip) were inverted for stress tensor parameters, and space variations of seismogenic stress orientations have been identified. The stress inversion results and the axi-symmetric orientation of P-axes, in the region surrounding the modeled dike, well support the evidence of a unique stress source in agreement with the ground deformation results.