sable, species of marten, Martes zibellina, found in Siberia, N European Russia, and N Finland. This carnivorous mammal is highly valued for its thick, soft fur, which is dark brown or black, sometimes with white underparts and sometimes flecked with silver. Unrestricted hunting for several centuries has exterminated the sable in some regions and dangerously reduced it in others; it now survives chiefly in the mountains of the northernmost parts of its former range. Protection is now afforded in parts of Russia, and it is raised on farms. The fur of the American marten, M. americana, sometimes called the American sable, also commands a price, although not as high as that of the true sable. Sables are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Mustelidae.

Sable, Cape, S Fla., southernmost extremity of the U.S. mainland. It is part of Everglades National Park.

Sable Island, low, sandy island, 25 mi (40 km) long and 1 mi (1.6 km) wide, off N.S., Canada, SE of Halifax. It is the exposed part of a sand shoal that stretches northeast-southwest for more than 100 mi (160 km). The island was known to mariners in the early 16th cent., and a small French semimilitary colony was there from 1598 to 1603. Known as the "graveyard of the Atlantic," Sable Island is a major hazard to navigation and has been the scene of many shipwrecks; at the time of Canadian confederation the island was made the specific responsibility of the national government. It now has a lighthouse, a lifesaving station, and a radio beacon. The island is also a breeding place for seals, which are protected by the government.

Cape Sable Island, 7 mi (11.2 km) long and 3 mi (4.8 km) wide, SW N.S., Canada. It is connected to the mainland by a causeway over Barrington Passage. Clark's Harbour (1991 pop. 1,076), a fishing port, is on the west coast.

(1982) Massacre of Palestinian civilians by Christian militiamen in two Beirut refugee camps during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The goal of Israel's action was to expel Palestinian guerrillas from Lebanon. To achieve this objective, Israel allied itself with several Lebanese Christian groups, including the Phalange party, who fought the Palestinians during the protracted Lebanese civil war (1975–90). Following the U.S.-brokered evacuation of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) fighters from Beirut, Israeli forces under Defense Minister Ariel Sharon allowed Phalange militiamen into the camps, ostensibly to root out further PLO fighters. Estimates of the number of women, children, and elderly who were killed over the next several days ranged from 800 to several thousand. Although no militiamen were ever prosecuted for their participation, Sharon—who an Israeli commission of inquiry later found indirectly responsible through negligence—was condemned in Arab popular opinion as the culprit of the massacre.

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Carnivore (Martes zibellina, family Mustelidae) that inhabits forests of northern Asia and is highly valued for its fur. The name is sometimes applied to related European and Asian species and to the American marten. The sable is 13–20 in. (32–51 cm) long, excluding the 5–7-in. (13–18-cm) tail, and weighs 2–4 lbs (0.9–1.8 kg). The coat varies from brown to almost black. The solitary, arboreal sable eats small animals and eggs.

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