Daijiworld Media Network - Tyre

Tyre, Jun 20: Lebanese marine ecologist Mona Khalil, who was severely injured after an Israeli strike hit her home near Tyre last week, has died, according to local reports.

Khalil, 77, passed away on Friday as Israeli air strikes intensified in southern Lebanon, with reports of dozens of casualties amid concerns over a fragile regional ceasefire.

Environmental group Live Love Tyre announced her death in a statement, remembering her as a dedicated conservationist who devoted her life to protecting marine life and endangered sea turtles.

“She will be remembered through an incredible legacy. Through it all, Mona chose to stay and care for the turtles of Live Love Tyre. Her life was selfless and impactful,” the group said.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1949, Khalil spent several years abroad before settling in southern Lebanon. Her lifelong commitment to marine conservation began in 1999 after she witnessed a turtle coming ashore to lay eggs at al-Mansouri beach near Tyre.

The encounter inspired her to dedicate decades to protecting nesting grounds of endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles along Lebanon’s southern coast.

In 2000, Khalil helped establish the Orange House, an eco-tourism project at al-Mansouri beach. She also worked on documenting marine biodiversity in southern Lebanon and campaigned against coastal pollution and threats to wildlife.

Both loggerhead and green sea turtles face severe threats from coastal development, plastic pollution, fishing nets and artificial lighting, with conservationists warning of risks to their survival in the eastern Mediterranean.

Journalist and volunteer Fadia Joumaa, who worked closely with Khalil, paid tribute to her, saying her death was a loss not only for the conservation community but for Lebanon as a whole.

“She guarded life faithfully,” Joumaa said in her tribute, remembering Khalil’s decades of service to nature and marine protection.