Lebanese banker Antoun Sehnaoui hosts Netanyahu at Washington dinner

Lebanese businessman and banker Antoun Sehnaoui co-hosted a dinner attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, in Washington on Monday night, according to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid.

The dinner, held at the Four Seasons hotel in Washington, DC, was co-hosted by Sehnaoui and former US envoy Morgan Ortagus in memory of late US Senator Lindsey Graham.

Attendees included Graham's family, Republican senators Roger Wicker, Ted Cruz, James Lankford, Katie Britt, Joni Ernst, Jim Risch, Dave McCormick, John Hoeven, Marsha Blackburn, Kevin Cramer and Bill Hagerty, alongside Democratic senators Chris Coons, Jeanne Shaheen, Sheldon Whitehouse and John Fetterman, according to Ravid.

Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Facebook executive Dina Powell McCormick, Katie Miller and Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter also reportedly attended.

The gathering comes as Israel continues its military campaign in Lebanon, where more than 4,300 people have been killed since 2 March, while Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement.

Who is Antoun Sehnaoui?

Sehnaoui is one of Lebanon's most influential bankers and businessmen, serving as chief executive of Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL) and wealth management firm Fidus.

He has also remained one of the country's most controversial financial figures since Lebanon's 2019 economic collapse, which left millions of depositors unable to access their savings.

🇺🇸🇮🇱🇱🇧Lebanese businessman and banker Antoun Sehnaoui and former U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus hosted a dinner in memory of Sen. Lindsey Graham at the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C., on Monday night
🇮🇱The event was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife… pic.twitter.com/00v3Q6EK28

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) July 28, 2026

As head of SGBL, Sehnaoui has faced sustained criticism from depositors' groups and activists, who accuse Lebanon's banking elite of helping entrench the financial system that wiped out much of the public's wealth. Lebanese banks have consistently denied wrongdoing.

In recent years, Sehnaoui has also drawn increasing scrutiny over his ties to prominent pro-Israel figures in Washington.

In April, he attended the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Days of Remembrance ceremony alongside former US envoy to Lebanon Morgan Ortagus, where the pair's names were unveiled on the museum's donor wall in recognition of their contributions.

At the time, Ortagus described Sehnaoui as a "Christian Zionist" in a social media post. Sehnaoui later wrote on Instagram that he was honoured to attend the Yom HaShoah Holocaust remembrance ceremony at the museum.

His political profile has generated further controversy in Lebanon. Former adviser Hajar al-Shamali publicly described Sehnaoui as a "committed Zionist", alleging that support for Zionism formed part of his family's outlook. Sehnaoui has not publicly responded to those remarks.

His appearance alongside Netanyahu is likely to intensify criticism in Lebanon, where Israel continues to occupy parts of the country's south following months of war and widespread destruction.

Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump, his first visit since the US-Israel war on Iran began in February.