Rima Maktabi

Rima Maktabi (born 4 July 1977) is a Lebanese TV presenter and award-winning journalist who returned to al-Arabiya after hosting CNN's monthly program Inside the Middle East for two years and previously working at the Arab satellite channel since 2005. She was among several female Arab journalists who first became known through her reporting during the 2006 Lebanon War and who had successful careers afterward, including Maktabi and her former colleague at al-Arabiya Najwa Qassem.

Personal Rima Maktabi was born 4 July 1977 in Beirut, Lebanon. She had grown up during the Lebanese Civil War, which lasted from 1975 to 1990. She graduated from the Lebanese American University in Beirut with a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts and a master's degree in International Affairs. She began her career in television at the age of 18 before her university education.

Career Rima Maktabi began her career in television with Lebanon's Future TV where she was a game show host and a weather presenter for 10 years. She presented prime-time news for al Arabiya from 2005 until July 2010. Her career changed course in 2006 when she covered the 2006 Lebanon War, also known as the July War or the Israel–Hezbollah War, which was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon. She joined CNN 5 April 2010—which overlapped with the end of her time at al-Aribiya—as host for CNN's Inside the Middle East, where she covers Arab culture and news for CNN's international audience. Maktabi is currently based in the United Arab Emirates. At the time of the war, Maktabi was a "rookie" journalist but was able to get exclusive coverage for al-Arabiya. Some female journalists were already reporting from Iraq. While at CNN, Maktabi was the host of the program Inside the Middle East and produced over 100 episodes. During this period, Maktabi covered notable events for CNN such as the beginning of the Arab Spring uprising in Tunisia, Egypt, and protests in Jordan and Bahrain. She covered the Syrian civil war from CNN offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Lebanon, and Abu Dhabi as foreign reporters were forbidden entry inside Syria.

Personal life Maktabi married Saudi Abdulrahman Al-Rashed in December 2016.