Lebanon probes Antoun Sehnaoui Netanyahu photo

Lebanon's public prosecutor has tasked security forces with investigating a photo and reported dinner involving influential Lebanese Christian businessman Antoun Sehnaoui and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a Lebanese judicial official said on July 29.

The official, who requested anonymity, said investigators were asked to establish whether the photo is authentic. The official said any legal steps would depend on the findings. Lebanese law criminalises contact with Israel.

Axios journalist Barak Ravid said on X that Sehnaoui and former US envoy Morgan Ortagus hosted a dinner on Monday night in Washington attended by Netanyahu and other high-profile officials. A photo showing Sehnaoui and Netanyahu at the same table prompted an uproar on Lebanese social media, and another image posted on Netanyahu's X account showed Sehnaoui behind the Israeli premier.

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

Sehnaoui chairs Lebanon's SGBL bank and is involved with Lebanese media outlets. He supports normalising ties with Israel. Lebanese lawyer Wassef El-Harakeh said he filed a personal complaint against Sehnaoui for "dealing with the enemy" and called for a serious judicial investigation.