Claude Salhani

• Born — 25 March 1952 • Birthplace — Cairo, Egypt • Died — 13 August 2022 • Place of death — Paris, France • Occupation — Photographer, journalist, editor, author • Years Active — 1981–2022 • Employer — Sygma, UPI, Reuters, Sipa Press • Known for — Pulitzer Prize-nominated photos of the 1983 bombing on USMC HQ Beirut

Claude Salhani was born on March 25, 1952, in Cairo, Egypt. In the 2000s, he earned an MA in Conflict Analysis and Management from Royal Roads University.

• Illustration — 1983 Beirut embassy bombing, photographed by Claude Salhani In 1970, age 18, Salhani joined An-Nahar and L'Orient-Le Jour newspapers in Beirut. He covered clashes between Jordanian and Palestinian forces ("Black September") in Jordan. By 1973, he had joined Sygma photo agency, whose clients included Time and Newsweek magazines, and landed photos on at least two covers of Time (1973, 1975). He worked for Sygma until 1980. In 1981, he became head of UPI Photos for the Middle East; in 1983, he covered the bombing of US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut. In 1984, he joined Reuters news agency as head of Reuters Photos for Europe, Middle East, and Africa; he lived in Brussels, London, and Paris. In the early 1990s, he moved to Washington, first to head US operations for Sipa Press and then to rejoin UPI as head of Photos through the rest of the 1990s and in 2000 international editor. He also served as editor for the Middle East Times and the Washington Times. Later, Salhani became a media analyst for major newspapers and an international television station. He contributed to publications by The National (UAE), the Cato Institute, and American Foreign Service Association. He also appeared on C-SPAN television.

Salhani married Cynthia Nuckolls; they had two children, Justin and Isabelle. Salhani had many narrow escapes on the front lines. In 1981, Salhani inside the Reuters building when Israeli artillery hit it and escaped with minor injury. On another occasion, a Palestinian splinter group detained him; Yasser Arafat of the Palestine Liberation Organization secured his release. In 1983, while photographing the 1983 bombing of USMC HQ barracks in Beirut, he also helped dig out survivors. Salhani was personal friends with Gibran Tueni, founder of An-Nahar. He was a mentor to many photographers and journalists, including UPI and Reuters colleagues Martin Sieff, Dalal Saoud, Aline Manoukian, and Jack Dabaghian, all of whom paid tribute to him. Claude Salhani died age 70 on August 13, 2022, in Paris, France, and a service was held at Père Lachaise Cemetery.

• Articles for UPI • "The other Sept. remembrance" (2002) • "Analysis: What is Plan B in the Iraq War?" (2003) • "Iraq: One year Later" (2003) • "Analysis: Preparing the post-Arafat Era" (2004) • "Politics & Policies: Iran a Clear Danger" (2005) • "Analysis: Today They Killed My Friend" (2005) • "Politics & Policies: Ahmadinejad's Antics" (2005) • "Jordanian Role Larger Than First Reported" (2006) • "Intelligence Summit Takes Flak" (2007) • "Analysis: Outsourcing war is good business" (2007) • Articles for The National (UAE) • "Al Jazeera's historic role in Arab political change becomes a news story in itself" (2011) • "Hamas cools to Syria as the Arab Spring's tally mounts" (2011) • "Fighting an old war on terror requires new coordination" (2011) • "Turkey takes a leading role in the region but not everyone applauds" (2011) • Articles for the Washington Times • "Lebanon on a Tinderbox" (2006) • "Kazakhstan assumes presidency of Europe security group" (2010) • "Kazakh official warns against quitting Afghanistan" (2010) • "Kazakh crackdown on media exposes vulnerabilities" (2010) • "Revolt in Central Asia" (2010) • "Key player in nuclear, Afghan security" (2010) • "Is Iran behind an attempted coup?" (2010) • Articles for the Cato Institute • "The Syria Accountability Act: Taking the Wrong Road to Damascus" (2005) • Articles for Foreign Service Journal • "Resolving the Palestine Question" (2003) • Articles for The National Interest • "Olmert's Secret Weapon: Prime Minister Deployed a Boomerang" (2006) • "Live from Lebanon" (2006)