Lebanese Turtle Activist Mona Khalil Dies in Israeli Strike

"Lebanese environmental activist Mona Khalil, who helped turn a stretch of the southern coast into one of the eastern Mediterranean’s most important nesting sites for endangered sea turtles, died after being wounded in an Israeli strike."

Khalil, 76, was injured when her house on Mansouri beach near the southern city of Tyre was struck during Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon two weeks ago. She passed away on Friday after several days in hospital, according to a local environmental group.

Her death comes amid intensified Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon, raising concerns of renewed violence despite diplomatic efforts to maintain a fragile regional peace. The BBC has reached out to the Israeli military for a response.

"She is a deeply committed environmental defender," said Hisham Younes, founder and president of Green Southerners.

"She used to talk about the beach like it was a person. Her bond to the sunset, to the water and to the turtles…she was really into conservation, the soul, the spirit of conservation."

Khalil had devoted more than 25 years to protecting endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles that nest along Lebanon’s southern coast. It began after she experienced a life‑changing encounter with a turtle laying eggs on Mansouri beach in 1999 while visiting her family’s seaside home after returning from the Netherlands.

She established the Orange House Project, an eco‑tourism and conservation initiative overlooking Mansouri beach. Initially a small guesthouse, it evolved into a centre for environmental education, wildlife protection, and marine research, drawing volunteers and visitors worldwide.

Khalil monitored nesting sites, documented marine life, and campaigned against coastal development, pollution, and destructive fishing practices. Her efforts secured protected status for parts of the coastline and raised awareness of marine threats in Lebanon.

Despite her home suffering damage during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Khalil refused to leave the beach she had spent years protecting. "She absolutely refused to be displaced, which was fitting for someone so determined," said friend Maha Joumaa.

Environmental groups say Khalil’s legacy will endure through the conservation movement she helped build and through the generations of turtles that continue to return to Lebanon’s shores. "Her love for the turtles was evident in every word and every action, but so was her love for people," recalled Paul Abi Rached, president of Terre Liban, who visited her in Mansouri in 2017.

That, perhaps, is Mona’s greatest legacy – she not only protected turtles but inspired people to care about them.