Ghassan Charbel

Ghassan Charbel
Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper
Gulf Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose after signing the joint defense agreement in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, August 7, 2026. (SPA)

Erdogan to Asharq Al-Awsat: Makkah Agreement Boosts Deterrence, Targets No Country

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that his country's relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are a "strategic relationship," revealing that…

Ghassan Charbel (Riyadh)
Arab World A building reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardment (Asharq Al-Awsat)

South Lebanon Caught Between Ali al-Taher and Strait of Hormuz

These small stones were once walls and roofs that made those beneath them believe they were protected from summer heat, winter cold and treacherous winds. …

Ghassan Charbel (Nabatieh)
Arab World Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (AP)

Lebanon's President to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Chose Negotiation to Limit the Occupation and the Suffering of Southerners

With increasing military tension between the US and Iran in and around the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun is trying to hold onto hope…

Ghassan Charbel (Beirut)
Interviews Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi during his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat Editor-in-Chief in Baghdad on Sunday

Iraq PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Corruption Crackdown Is Irreversible, Arms Must Be Under State Control

Journalists live for the unexpected, especially in Iraq, where events can overtake a carefully planned interview before it even begins. I had requested a…

Ghassan Charbel (Baghdad)
Features A photo released by Iran's Nour News of a previous meeting between Khamenei and Sinwar

How Did Tehran Enter the Palestinian Arena?

A compelling story is often enough to send a journalist in search of the man who carries it. The search becomes even more urgent when that man carries two…

Ghassan Charbel (Riyadh)
Features Hafez al-Assad made it easier for Khamenei to consolidate control over Lebanon through Hezbollah. (AFP)

When Hafez al-Assad Opened Lebanon’s Gate to Tehran

One week after the Iranian Revolution declared victory on February 11, 1979, two photographs emerged from Tehran that, in retrospect, help explain many of the…

Ghassan Charbel (Riyadh)
Features (FILES) Photo taken 01 February 1979 at Tehran airport of Ruhollah Khomeini (C) leaving the Air France Boeing 747 jumbo that flew him back from exile in France to Tehran. Getty Images

Three Precious Gifts to Tehran from Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, and George W. Bush

Most people in today’s Middle East were born after 1979. Yet they often overlook how profoundly that year shaped their countries, their stability, and their…

Ghassan Charbel (Riyadh)
Interviews There were exceptional communication channels between Saddam Hussein and King Hussein (AFP)

Obeidat to Asharq Al-Awsat: I Left Saddam Meeting Sensing he Misread Threat

In the final part of his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, former Jordanian prime minister Ahmad Obeidat, who died earlier this month, recounted in detail his…

Ghassan Charbel (Amman)