Tamara Qiblawi

In 2017, Qiblawi joined CNN at its Abu Dhabi bureau and then went on to cover the Middle East for CNN Digital from Beirut until 2021.

During her time at CNN, Qiblawi has covered a range of breaking stories from the region, such as the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad and the Beirut port blast of 2020. She has reported from Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria, Turkey and Ukraine.

She has also led a number of important investigative stories, such as the uncovering of abuses at the Kenyan consulate in Beirut, an investigation into hoarding of baby formula and life-saving medicines during Lebanon’s financial crisis. She also revealed the details of the case of a Saudi teen who faced the death penalty for protest-related charges after being arrested at the age of 13. The story prompted protest from Western officials and pushed Saudi authorities to end the long-running trial and rule against a death sentence.

Before joining CNN, Qiblawi worked as a multi-platform in her hometown, Beirut, where she freelanced for international media and worked on medium-form storytelling that focused on the region’s oral histories. She has a Master’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut.