Daijiworld Media Network - Beirut

Beirut, Jun 22: Mourners gathered in Beirut on Sunday to pay tribute to Lebanese conservationist Mona Khalil, who died from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike on her home in southern Lebanon.

Khalil, 77, who dedicated more than two decades to protecting sea turtles along Lebanon’s coastline, was critically injured in the attack on June 4 in the village of al-Mansouri in Tyre province. She succumbed to her injuries more than two weeks later on Friday.

Her death triggered widespread grief among environmentalists, volunteers and people who had worked with her over the years. Many gathered in Beirut to remember her contribution to marine conservation.

Khalil was instrumental in developing the Orange House Project in al-Mansouri into a conservation centre and ecotourism site. The project became a safe space for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles and served as a training centre for volunteers monitoring nesting activity along the Lebanese coast.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1949, Khalil held both Lebanese and Dutch citizenship. After living in the Netherlands, she returned to Lebanon and settled in her grandmother’s former home, which later became known as the Orange House.

Her lifelong dedication to turtles began in 1999 after she witnessed a sea turtle coming ashore to lay eggs on al-Mansouri beach. The moment inspired her to devote herself to protecting marine life.

During nesting seasons, Khalil and volunteers regularly patrolled the beach at night, recording turtle tracks and relocating vulnerable nests away from human disturbances and coastal light pollution.

Journalist and environmental activist Fadia Jomaa met Khalil in 2016 while researching sea turtles in Lebanon and later became a volunteer with the conservation project.

Jomaa recalled that during the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Khalil initially refused to leave al-Mansouri beach despite the danger. She was eventually evacuated after being persuaded by the Lebanese army.

“She was the last one to leave the area,” Jomaa said, adding that Khalil struggled while away from the south and longed to return to the Orange House and the beach she had protected for years.

“She used to say, ‘My soul will stay here,’” Jomaa recalled, saying Khalil often pointed to places around al-Mansouri beach and said, “This is where you will bury me.”

The location of Khalil’s final resting place remains uncertain due to the security situation in the area, according to Jomaa.