Deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus has taken a detour from diplomacy to stop by the salon chair of Lebanese hairstylist Tony El Mendelek in Beirut.
El Mendelek posted a video of Ortagus's transformation, with the caption: “The woman you’ve been all waiting for.”
He also shared videos of the makeover in progress. “The gorgeous Morgan Ortagus with a coiffure made in Lebanon,” he wrote.
A later clip shows Ortagus smiling approvingly at her new hairdo.
On Wednesday, while still in the country, she revealed she met Lebanese designer Elie Saab, calling him a "legend".
Ortagus, a former US State Department spokeswoman, was named deputy special envoy to the Middle East this year by US President Donald Trump. She, along with a high-level American delegation including special envoy Tom Barrack and Senator Lindsey Graham, is in the Lebanese capital this week to discuss a US plan to disarm Hezbollah and other militant groups.
Ortagus and Barrack were in Israel on Sunday, where they pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back his attacks in Lebanon, according to media reports.
El Mendelek is a popular hairstylist who has worked with Arab celebrities for over 25 years, from Egyptian pop star Sherine Abdel‑Wahab to Emirati-Yemeni singer and actress Balqees.
Trained in London and Paris, he operates several salons in Beirut as well as in other locations in Lebanon and in Dubai. He's set to open a branch of his eponymous salon in Riyadh soon.
With more than 700,000 followers on Instagram, El Mendelek, along with his wife, events planner Elena Massabni, is also a social media star. Their glamorous 2022 wedding in Beirut made headlines across the region. The couple have a one-year-old daughter, Yasma.
