Lebanese environmental activist Mona Khalil, who helped transform a stretch of southern coast into a key nesting site for endangered sea turtles, was killed after being wounded in an Israeli strike that hit her home on Mansouri beach near Tyre.
Khalil, aged 76, suffered injuries when her house was struck during a series of Israeli air attacks on southern Lebanon two weeks ago. The local wildlife group confirmed that she died on Friday after several days in hospital.
Her death comes amid intensifying Israeli air strikes across the region, sparking worries about renewed violence despite recent diplomatic efforts to keep a fragile peace.
"She was a deeply committed environmental defender," said Hisham Younes, founder and president of Green Southerners, to the BBC.
Khalil’s passion for the beach, the sunset, the water and the turtles was renowned. She approached the shoreline “like it was a person,” and her bond to the marine life shaped her lifelong mission.
For over 25 years, she devoted herself to protecting loggerhead and green sea turtles nesting along Lebanon’s southern coast. The journey began with a life‑changing encounter with a turtle laying eggs on Mansouri beach in 1999. A refugee of the civil war, Khalil was living in the Netherlands but returned to the seaside home of her family to witness the moment that set her on the conservation path.
Fast forward to 2000, she helped launch the Orange House Project – an eco‑tourism and conservation initiative overlooking Mansouri beach – that evolved from a small guesthouse into a hub for environmental education, wildlife protection, and marine research, drawing volunteers and visitors worldwide.
She spent decades monitoring nesting sites, documenting marine life and campaigning against coastal development, pollution and destructive fishing practices, resulting in protected status for parts of the coastline and heightened awareness of marine threats.
Friends and colleagues noted her unwavering commitment despite years of conflict in the area; she had refused to leave her beloved beach even after experiencing house damage during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Her legacy is expected to endure through the conservation movement she helped build and the generations of turtles that continue to return to Lebanon’s shores. "Her love for turtles is evident in every word and every action, but so is her love for people," remarked Paul Abi Rached, president of Terre Liban.
Mona's death underscores the intersection of environmental stewardship and geopolitical conflict, highlighting the profound impact one individual can have on biodiversity and community.
