BEIRUT (AP) 鈥� More than a dozen Lebanese lawyers filed a complaint at the prosecutor’s office in Beirut on Wednesday against a prominent local banker, saying he violated the country鈥檚 laws by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister in Washington this week.
Lebanon and Israel for the first time in decades over the past three months, seeking an end to between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon鈥檚 laws prevent its citizens from having contact with Israelis 鈥� the countries remain in a state of war since Israel was established in 1948 鈥� and violators could face prison terms.
Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted a photo on X of the banker, Antoun Sehnaoui, sitting at a restaurant table with Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. Ravid wrote that Sehnaoui and former U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus hosted a dinner on Monday in memory of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham that was attended by Netanyahu and U.S. officials.
A Sehnaoui-linked website, This is Beirut, also reported details of what it called the 鈥渟pecial dinner.鈥�
Sehnaoui鈥檚 lawyer in Beirut did not immediately respond for comment.
The complaint said Sehnaoui committed 鈥渢he crimes of contacting and dealing with the Israeli enemy, violating the Israel boycott law, the crime of treason and state security crimes.鈥�
Two of the Lebanese lawyers who filed the complaint told The Associated Press that the Sehnaoui-Netanyahu meeting came as Israel鈥檚 military is still carrying out attacks on Lebanon.
The conflict revived two days after Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, when Hezbollah fired at Israel and Israel responded with airstrikes and ground forces. More than 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed, and Israel still occupies dozens of villages and towns. The countries recently reached a .
One of the lawyers, Hassan Bazzi, said Sehnaoui violated the law and offended national sentiments. Bazzi said the lawyers hope the prosecutor鈥檚 office performs its duties 鈥渆ffectively and swiftly.鈥�
Another lawyer, Mohammed Hajj Hassan, called Sehnaoui鈥檚 meeting with Netanyahu 鈥渁 public offense,鈥� and now the judiciary is expected to investigate the case in what could lead to issuing arrest warrants.
It was not immediately clear how prosecutors will deal with the case. In the past, they issued arrest warrants in similar cases for Lebanese citizens outside the country.
A Lebanese foreign ministry official refused to comment when contacted by the AP.
Sehnaoui, who has been mostly based in the U.S. in recent years, has several businesses in Lebanon and abroad in sectors including banking, media and the film industry.
Like other senior bankers, Sehnaoui was harshly criticized following Lebanon’s historic economic meltdown in 2019, when most people lost access to their money. The economic crisis was described by the World Bank as among since the 1850s.
Sehnaoui’s meeting with the Israeli leader occurred as some in Lebanon have called for abolishing a 1955 law that bans dealing with Israel or having contacts with Israelis and punishes offenders with up to 10 years in jail.
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