Lebanese marine ecologist Mona Khalil, who was critically injured when an Israeli strike hit her home near Tyre last week, has died, according to local reports.
Khalil, 76, was severely wounded in the attack and was moved to an intensive-care unit in Beirut before succumbing to her injuries on Friday, The Guardian reported quoting her friends. Her assistant, an Ethiopian woman, suffered burns but was recovering.
Mona Khalil managed the Orange House Project, a conservation sanctuary near the Mediterranean city of Tyre. She welcomed volunteers to help clean and monitor a mile-long stretch of beach and hosted visitors interested in learning about environmental conservation.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) mourned the passing of Mona Khalil, with profound sadness.
"Mona devoted her life to protecting Lebanon’s natural heritage, particularly the fragile coastal ecosystems of southern Lebanon and the endangered sea turtles that found in her one of their fiercest guardians. Her work extended far beyond conservation projects; she inspired communities, mentored generations of volunteers, and helped build a culture of environmental stewardship rooted in local ownership and collective responsibility, the SPNL website said.
For decades, Mona stood at the forefront of conservation efforts along the southern coast, contributing significantly to the protection of one of Lebanon’s most important sea turtle nesting sites in Hima Qoleileh–Mansouri, a seven-kilometer stretch of sandy and rocky shoreline that hosts more than fifty-eight endangered sea turtle nests annually.
Her contribution was instrumental in advancing the Hima approach, strengthening cooperation between local communities, municipalities, environmental organizations, youth groups, and volunteers to safeguard biodiversity while promoting sustainable local development, SPNL said.
Assad Serhal, Director General of SPNL, paid tribute to Mona’s extraordinary legacy.