Mona Khalil, one of Lebanon’s most celebrated marine conservationists, has died after being critically injured in an Israeli air strike on her home in the coastal village of Al-Mansouri, near Tyre.
Khalil, 76, was the founder of the Orange House Project — a conservation initiative she launched in 1999 to protect nesting loggerhead and green sea turtles along Lebanon’s Mediterranean coastline. Her beachfront property became a gathering point for environmental education, scientific monitoring, and volunteer-led beach conservation, as well as a working eco-tourism bed and breakfast.
The strike hit her home on 4 June. Khalil was critically injured in the attack; her Ethiopian assistant, who was also wounded, was later reported to be recovering. Khalil underwent surgery and was transferred to Beirut for further treatment, but died from her injuries on 19 June.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, to a Lebanese family, Khalil had spent years in the Netherlands after leaving Lebanon during the 1975–1990 civil war. She returned to the family property in Mansouri in 1999, and her life’s work began after witnessing a turtle nesting on the beach. Former volunteers remembered her as a maternal figure — “guardian of the turtles” — whose dedication to wildlife protection never faltered in the face of war, political upheaval, or personal danger. She was also known for leading a successful campaign against dynamite fishing in the area.
Lebanese conservation group Green Southerners condemned the attack, describing Khalil as a pioneering environmental defender. Through the Orange House, the group said, she had inspired generations of Lebanese to value and protect their coastal ecosystems, making her one of the country’s most respected voices for marine conservation and biodiversity. Green Southerners noted that the site had long been known internationally as a centre for conservation and public awareness, and called her death a stark reminder of the toll the conflict continues to take on civilians, environmental defenders, and the natural heritage they worked to protect.
The Israel Defence Forces said that Khalil was not a target of the IDF and stated that it had no record of a strike in which she was injured. It acknowledged that operations had been conducted in the area following the issuance of evacuation warnings, and expressed regret for any harm caused to civilians.
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