Lebanon's "Guardian of the Turtles" Killed in Israeli Strike Amid Ecocide Campaign

Tired Earth

By The Editorial Board

Mona Khalil, the environmental activist who dedicated over two decades to protecting endangered sea turtles along Lebanon's southern coast, has died from wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike on her home .

Mona Khalil, 77, died after an Israeli strike on her home near Tyre—just weeks after a ceasefire was in place. Her death comes as Israel continues systematic destruction of southern Lebanon's agricultural lands with white phosphorus.

The 77-year-old founder of the Orange House Project was injured on June 4 when the strike hit her family home on Mansouri beach near Tyre . She remained hospitalized for two weeks before succumbing to her injuries .

Khalil's journey began in 1999 with a chance encounter—a turtle emerging from the sea to lay eggs on Mansouri beach . She left her career as an art restorer in the Netherlands and returned to the family home her father had built decades earlier. In 2000, she established the Orange House, an eco-tourism project that became a sanctuary for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles .

Mona Khalil devoted more than 25 years to protecting endangered sea turtles on Lebanon's southern coast, turning Mansouri beach into a symbol of conservation and hope

"She will be remembered through an incredible legacy. Through it all, Mona chose to stay and care for the turtles," environmental group Live Love Tyre said in a statement .¹

Throughout Lebanon's wars and crises, Khalil refused to abandon her post. "She barricaded herself inside her home, letting in no one and believing she was safe because she was a civilian," environmental activist Fadia Joumaa told L'Orient Today . "She absolutely refused to be displaced."²

Systematic Ecocide in Southern Lebanon

Khalil's killing comes amid a broader pattern of environmental destruction. Human Rights Watch has verified Israel's unlawful use of white phosphorus over residential areas in southern Lebanon—a substance that burns at over 820°C and can render agricultural land infertile for years .

see more:

White Phosphorus in the Soil: Lebanon’s Farmland Is Being Poisoned for Generations

The Lebanese government has formally accused Israel of committing "ecocide"—the mass destruction of ecosystems. Environment Minister Tamara el Zein characterized the damage as "intentional ecological destruction" affecting food systems, public health, and the long-term viability of the region's rural economy.

In the Ali Taher area, recent intense bombing with white phosphorus has destroyed agricultural life and sterilized the land—part of what analysts describe as a systematic campaign to make the region uninhabitable.

1. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/20/mona-khalil-lebanons-turtle-advocate-dies-after-israeli-attack

2. https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1538704/mona-khalil-guardian-of-the-turtles-of-mansouri-dies-from-injuries-after-israeli-strike-on-her-home.html