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Lebanon Issues 30-Day Wanted Notice for Banker After Photo Shows Him Dining with Netanyahu

The public prosecutor opened a judicial probe that could lead to arrest warrants under a 1955 law banning contact with Israelis.

An Arabic mock "wanted" poster of a Lebanese Chairman bank Antoun Sehnaoui, plastered by depositors protesters outside the Lebanese Central Bank, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. More than a dozen Lebanese lawyers on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, filed a complaint at the prosecutors' office in Beirut on Wednesday against a prominent local banker, saying he violated the country's laws by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington this week. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A mock "wanted" poster of Lebanese bank owner Antoun Sehnaoui, left, plastered by depositors protesters outside the Lebanese Central Bank, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. More than a dozen Lebanese lawyers on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, filed a complaint at the prosecutors' office in Beirut on Wednesday against a prominent local banker, saying he violated the country's laws by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington this week. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a news conference, following a U.S.-Iran deal, in Jerusalem, June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sits across from Lebanese banker Antoun Sehnaoui at a memorial dinner for US senator Lindsey Graham in Washington on Monday. Handout via Reuters

Overview

  • Photographs published after a Monday memorial dinner in Washington showed Lebanese banker Antoun Sehnaoui seated at a table with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of Netanyahu’s party.
  • On Thursday, July 30, Lebanon’s public prosecutor issued a 30-day wanted notice for Sehnaoui after technical experts verified the images and instructed security authorities to open a formal investigation.
  • More than a dozen Lebanese lawyers filed complaints accusing Sehnaoui of crimes including contacting the Israeli enemy and treason under a 1955 boycott law that bans direct dealings with Israeli citizens and carries prison penalties.
  • The case is separate from long‑running prosecutions linked to Sehnaoui’s role at SGBL and alleged money‑laundering tied to the 2019 financial crisis, but his residence abroad and prior controversies shape public reaction and legal options.
  • The episode has provoked wide anger in Lebanon and could trigger arrest warrants or referral to military courts, revive debate over the 1955 law, and complicate delicate US‑backed talks between Lebanon and Israel.