BEIRUT — Lebanese environmentalist Mona Khalil, known for her decades-long work protecting endangered sea turtles along Lebanon’s southern coast, has died after sustaining critical injuries in an Israeli airstrike that struck her home in the village of Mansouri earlier this month, according to family members, environmental organizations and Lebanese media reports.
Khalil, 76, died on Friday after spending days in intensive care in Beirut, following a June 4 strike that hit her beachfront residence near the southern city of Tyre, according to relatives and conservation groups. Her assistant was also injured in the attack and was reported to be recovering. Israeli military officials said Khalil was not an intended target of the strike.
The death of Khalil, a Lebanese-Dutch conservationist, prompted tributes from environmental advocates, former volunteers and community leaders. On Sunday, mourners gathered in Beirut to pay their respects, remembering her role in protecting nesting grounds for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles and promoting environmental awareness in southern Lebanon.
Khalil founded the Orange House Project in Mansouri in 1999 after returning to Lebanon from the Netherlands. The project became a center for ecotourism, wildlife conservation and volunteer activities focused on preserving a stretch of Mediterranean coastline considered important for sea turtle nesting. Over more than two decades, she worked with local and international volunteers to monitor turtle populations and protect coastal habitats.
Environmental organizations described Khalil as one of Lebanon’s most prominent conservation advocates. Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa expressed condolences following her death.
“Her loss is not only a loss for her family and community, but for the environmental movement in Lebanon and the region,” Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa program director Julien Jreissati said in a statement reported by regional media.
The strike that wounded Khalil occurred amid continued hostilities in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces have said their operations target Hezbollah positions and infrastructure, while Lebanese officials and humanitarian organizations have raised concerns about civilian casualties and damage to civilian sites. Details surrounding the specific circumstances of the strike on Khalil’s home remain unclear.
Khalil’s death has drawn attention to the impact of the conflict on environmental and cultural sites in southern Lebanon. Conservation groups said her work helped establish one of the eastern Mediterranean’s most significant sea turtle protection efforts.
As of Sunday, funeral and burial arrangements remained subject to security conditions in southern Lebanon, while tributes continued from environmental organizations and former colleagues in Lebanon and abroad.
