Lebanese Conservationist Mona Khalil Dies After Israeli Strike on Her Home

Mourners gathered in Beirut on June 22 to pay their respects to Mona Khalil, a renowned Lebanese conservationist who died from wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike on her home in southern Lebanon. Khalil, 76 or 77, succumbed to her injuries on June 19, more than two weeks after the attack on June 4 in the village of al-Mansouri, Tyre province. Her death triggered an outpouring of grief among environmentalists, volunteers, and local community members who had worked with her for decades.

Khalil spent over 25 years protecting endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles along a narrow stretch of coastline near Tyre. Her work began in 1999 when a chance encounter with a turtle laying eggs on al-Mansouri beach inspired her lifelong dedication. She transformed her family home, the Orange House, into a conservation hub and ecotourism site that served as a base for monitoring nests, relocating eggs away from threats, and educating volunteers. Each nesting season, she and volunteers patrolled the beach at night, marking tracks and moving nests to safer locations.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1949 to Lebanese parents, Khalil held Dutch and Lebanese citizenship after living in the Netherlands, where she worked as a porcelain restorer. She returned to Lebanon after the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, settling in her grandmother's home. Her conservation efforts combined direct action—placing metal grids over nests, measuring and recording data—with advocacy against pollution, dynamite fishing, coastal development, and war. She faced threats, including being shot at, but remained committed.

During the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Khalil initially refused to evacuate and was among the last to leave the area, persuaded only by the Lebanese army. Journalist and activist Fadia Jomaa recalled Khalil saying of her beloved coastline: "My soul will stay here." Khalil's funeral arrangements remain uncertain due to the security situation, as she had previously expressed a wish to be buried overlooking al-Mansouri beach.