Not a game show: Ex-TV star at centre of Lebanon-Saudi row

Mr. Kordahi chose to side with Syria’s Bashar Assad and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, losing many fans and financial supporters in the process

George Kordahi was popular among TV viewers in the Middle East for his dapper charm. He schmoozed with beautiful women, dropped jokes and recited lines of Arabic poetry — all the while weighing in with his political opinions about the region’s events.

Now the former host of the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” is Lebanon’s Information Minister, and those opinions have landed Mr. Kordahi at the center of his country’s worst-ever crisis with Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Kordahi refuses to resign or apologize to the Saudis, whose financial backing Lebanon desperately needs. Instead, the former entertainer known for his smooth style is relying on the backing of Saudi Arabia’s nemesis, Lebanon's powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.