Lebanese conservationist Mona Khalil killed in Israeli strike

Lebanese environmentalist Mona Khalil has died from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike in the country's south, where she had dedicated decades to turtle conservation. Khalil, in her late seventies, was severely wounded on June 4 when an Israeli strike hit her home in the village of Mansouri, located about 10 kilometers south of Tyre. She passed away on Friday.

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Her loss is not only a loss for her family and community, but for the environmental movement in Lebanon and the region.

Julien Jreissati, program director at Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, remembered Khalil for her lifelong commitment to protecting sea turtles and the Mansouri coastline. He stated that her loss is a blow not only to her family and community but also to the environmental movement in Lebanon and the wider region.

Khalil established the Orange House Project in Mansouri after returning to Lebanon from the Netherlands over two decades ago. This initiative combined conservation efforts with ecotourism, allowing visitors to observe turtle hatchings and participate in conservation activities. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) mourned her as a dedicated environmental defender and a champion of sea turtle conservation, noting her significant role in protecting a vital nesting site for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles.

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one of Lebanon's most dedicated environmental defenders and a tireless champion of sea turtle conservation

Local groups like Green Southerners also paid tribute, calling Khalil a pioneering environmental defender who inspired generations of Lebanese to value and protect their natural heritage. Despite the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah war and evacuation orders for southern Lebanon, Khalil remained in her village, a testament to her dedication.

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Through the Orange House, she inspired generations of Lebanese to value and protect their natural heritage and coastal ecosystems