Antoun Sehnaoui wanted in Lebanon over Netanyahu dinner

Lebanese judicial authorities issued a warrant on Wednesday seeking the arrest of influential businessman Antoun Sehnaoui after he was accused of meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a Lebanese judicial source told AFP.

The judicial source said prosecutor and judge Ahmad Rami issued a 30-day wanted notice for Sehnaoui on charges of dealing with Israel and violating Lebanon's boycott law against Israel.

Lebanese law criminalises contact with Israel, although the countries began direct talks under US sponsorship in April, a month after the latest fighting erupted between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported that Sehnaoui and former US envoy Morgan Ortagus hosted a dinner on Monday night in Washington attended by high-profile officials including Netanyahu. Ravid said the dinner was in memory of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died this month.

A photo showing Sehnaoui, a Lebanese Christian, and Netanyahu at the same table prompted an uproar on Lebanese social media. The judicial official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Lebanese security forces had established that the photo was authentic and had not been altered.

Another image posted on Netanyahu's X account showed Sehnaoui behind the Israeli premier.

The judicial official said several lawyers had submitted a report demanding Sehnaoui's prosecution for crimes related to dealing with Israel and communicating with Netanyahu. The prosecutor is to examine the matter and decide whether to refer it to the military court.

Sehnaoui chairs Lebanon's SGBL bank and is involved with Lebanese media outlets. He supports normalising ties with Israel and is also a movie producer and philanthropist.

Lebanese lawyer Wassef El-Harakeh said he lodged a personal complaint against Sehnaoui for "dealing with the enemy" and called for a serious judicial investigation.