Sabra and Shatila massacre 40 years later: Survivors tell their accounts
Plus: Ukraine says it shot down Iranian drone in Kharkiv, Queen Elizabeth's funeral: Who is coming from the Middle East and North Africa? Turkey and Syria step up contacts and much more.
Hello readers. Welcome back to Inshallah, a newsletter about news from the Middle East delivered to your inbox every week.
I am Dario Sabaghi, ready to handpick for you the most newsworthy stories of the week. Subscribe to be up to date about the latest development in the Middle East. It's free.
Before delving into the news of the week, I suggest reading my latest article on The New Arab.
Hoping to unlock an IMF recovery package, Lebanon's controversial capital controls draft law has sparked widespread protests for protecting banks at the expense of depositors and pushing people further into poverty.
Sabra and Shatila massacre survivors: 'It can't be unseen'
On the 40th anniversary of the mass killings in Beirut's Palestinian refugee camps, witnesses recall the horrors that continue to weigh on their lives.
On September 16, 1982, fighters belonging to the Kataeb party's Lebanese Forces militia entered the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila in Beirut's southern suburbs.
They were accompanied by allied Israeli soldiers, who had recently taken west Beirut after the withdrawal of Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) fighters.
For three days, under the watch of Israeli soldiers, the Christian militiamen slaughtered men, women, and children.
The vast majority were Palestinian civilians, but a significant number were people of other nationalities. Up to 3,500 were killed.
Read the stories of the massacre's survivors on Middle East Eye.
Ukraine says it shot down Iranian drone in Kharkiv
Ukraine's military reported Tuesday, September 13, that it had destroyed an Iranian drone used by Russian forces near Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry published photos of what it said were the remnants of an Iran-made Shahed-136 kamikaze drone shot down near Kupiansk.
In July, the White House stated that Russian military delegations had visited Tehran seeking to obtain hundreds of drones, citing declassified intelligence.
A Pentagon official told reporters late last month that Iranian drones had been delivered to Russia at the end of August and that many had proven faulty, though no evidence was provided for the claims.
Lebanese banks to close next week after more branches are stormed
Lebanese banks have said they will soon announce a three-day closure next week over mounting security concerns following a series of incidents involving people seeking access to their savings by entering banks armed with guns.
On Friday, September 16, eight banks were held up by depositors who demanded their own money.
Friday's incidents followed two others in the capital, Beirut, and in the town of Aley on Wednesday, September 14, in which depositors could access a portion of their funds by force, using toy pistols mistaken for real weapons.
Last month, a man was detained after he held up a Beirut bank to withdraw funds to treat his sick father but was released without charge after the bank dropped its lawsuit against him.
Lebanon has been grappling with a severe economic crisis since 2019, leaving most people locked out of their bank accounts and unable to pay for basics.
For more than two-and-a-half years, Lebanon's banks have imposed restrictions on depositors' money in foreign currency, especially the US dollar. The banks have also set tight ceilings on withdrawing money in Lebanese pounds – which has lost 95 percent of its value since the onset of the crisis.
Queen Elizabeth's funeral: Who is coming from the Middle East and North Africa?
The funeral of the late British monarch Queen Elizabeth II will be attended by representatives of several Middle Eastern states, while some have not been invited.
The funeral, due to take place on Monday, September 19, is expected to be the largest gathering of royals, prime ministers, presidents, and leaders from around the world in decades.
Almost 500 foreign dignitaries will attend the event on September 19.
But the UK's Foreign Office said that officials from six countries were not invited to the funeral, which includes Syria, Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Venezuela.
An invitation at the level of ambassadorship was sent to the Islamic Republic of Iran, although Tehran has no ambassador in the UK.
However, Iran's ambassador in the UAE, Sayed Mohammad Hosseini, is reportedly attending the funeral, pending official confirmation.
Middle East leaders whose attendance has been confirmed are:
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Israel's President Isaac Herzog, Lebanon's interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Palestine's Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
Turkey backs Azerbaijan, says Armenia 'should cease provocations'
Turkey said on Tuesday, September 13, it continued to back Azerbaijan and called on Armenia to "cease its provocations" after clashes erupted between the two South Caucasus countries that resumed decades-old hostilities.
Turkey neighbors both countries but is a close ally of Azerbaijan and backed its effort to drive ethnic Armenian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, including providing armed drones.
Clashes erupted between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in a resumption of decades-old hostilities linked to the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan, which re-established full control over the territory in a six-week conflict in 2020, acknowledged casualties among its forces.
Armenia made no mention of losses but said clashes persisted overnight.
Turkey and Syria step up contacts
Four sources told Reuters that Turkey's intelligence chief had held multiple meetings with his Syrian counterpart in Damascus over the last few weeks, a sign of Russian efforts to encourage a thaw between states on opposite sides of Syria's war.
The contacts reflect a Russian policy shift as Moscow steels itself for a protracted conflict in Ukraine and seeks to secure its position in Syria, where its forces have supported President Bashar al-Assad since 2015, according to two Turkish officials and the regional source.
Any normalization between Ankara and Damascus would reshape the decade-long Syrian war.
Turkish-Syrian rapprochement seemed unthinkable earlier in the Syrian conflict, which spiraled out of an uprising against Assad in 2011, killing hundreds of thousands of people, drawing in numerous foreign powers, and splintering the country.
But rapprochement faces big complications, including the fate of rebel fighters and millions of civilians, many of whom fled to the northwest to escape Assad's rule.
Iran woman's death after morals police arrest sparks protests
A young Iranian woman has died after falling into a coma following her detention by morality police enforcing Iran's strict hijab rules, sparking protests by Iranians on social media.
Among critical social media comments, outspoken reformist politician Mahmoud Sadeghi, a former lawmaker, called on Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to speak out about the case.
Palestinians dub Marvel's new Israeli superhero Sabra' Captain Apartheid', reminding of 'offensive' new comic strip
Palestinians have condemned Marvel's latest Israeli superheroine character, as human rights groups across the world dub the country an "apartheid state."
Israeli actress Shira Haas will play the Israeli superhero Sabra in the forthcoming new Marvel movie after the cast was revealed at Disney's D23 Expo.
Sabra, the pseudonym of Ruth Bat-Seraph, first appeared in the Incredible Hulk comic books in 1980.
Sabra is the informal name for Jews born in Israel.
Social media users have pointed out that it is also the name of a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, where Lebanese militias massacred hundreds or thousands of civilians under the watch of the Israeli army who controlled the area at the time.
The American Muslims for Palestine organization launched a petition calling on Marvel Studios to axe the character from the company's new 'Captain America: New World Order' film.
"Say NO to Marvel's Israeli Mossad Agent Superhero," read the petition, adding: "Let Marvel Studios know that whitewashing Israeli apartheid is not okay."
It has a goal of reaching 5,000 signatures.
That's all for this week. Thanks for reading Inshallah. Share this article and subscribe to be up to date about news from the Middle East every week. It's free.
About me
My name is Dario Sabaghi, a freelance journalist. I am interested in human rights and international news focusing on the MENA region.
Check out my work at dariosabaghi.com.
You can follow me on Twitter: @DarioSabaghi
Did I miss any important news from the Middle East? DM me on Twitter.
Cover photo: Alain Mingam/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images/ The New York Review