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Mona Khalil dies after Israeli strike on her home

newsJun 20, 2026194,550

Mona Khalil, a Lebanese environmentalist who guarded sea turtles for more than 25 years, died of wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on her home in Mansouri in southern Lebanon. Khalil ran the Orange House bed and breakfast with her partner Habiba Fayed since 2000 to fund her conservation work, and she refused to abandon the Mansouri beach nesting grounds despite two prior wars. Her death, nearly two weeks after the strike that wounded her, removes a central guardian of endangered green and loggerhead turtles that nest on Lebanon's coastline and threatens long-term protection of that Mediterranean habitat.

elia ayoub
@ayoub.bsky.social

Mona Khalil, Lebanon’s most well-known sea turtle conservationist, died of her wounds today after being injured by an Israeli strike I feel sick

MARINE ECOLOGIST MONA KHALIL HAS PASSED AWAY AFTER SUSTAINING INJURIES IN AN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE
346617h ago
elia ayoub349

This is who Israel murdered There are literally hundreds if not thousands of sea turtles that were given a chance to survive thanks to Mona Khalil. She’s been doing this work for over two decades. And Israel murdered her

John Breen29

This is heartbreaking and infuriating

Henry from New York18

I will never forget what is happening in Lebanon. Minute by minute - it’s nightmarish and evil beyond comprehension. Rest in Power, Mona Khalil

Dr. Ruth Marshall is still kicking against the pricks6

Sickening! Enraging! They are PSYCHOPATHS. 😭

Rima I Anabtawi6

Can’t move, literally.. in shock. I must have been sitting here for hours. I can’t believe this is even real.

Jenny5

I'm so sorry. This is awful and heart breaking news.

Will Pollock 🏳️‍🌈 🫘 ➡️ turn 🔔 on2

I feel sick along with you.

Cat Cordeiro
@topmarx.bsky.social

The house that the IDF attacked was run as a bed and breakfast by Mona and her partner Habiba Fayed since 2000 to fund their research and conservation project Happy Pride. You deserved better, Mona.

Mona Khalil and Habiba Fayed, backs to the camera, walk up a small hill with their arms around each others' waist. Both carry Lebanon flags over their opposite shoulders
24612h ago
Cat Cordeiro6

Mona talked in an interview about sneaking to her family's abandoned farmhouse with Habiba on a moonless night in 1999 to avoid the Israeli occupation and seeing for the first time a massive sea turtle climb out of the sea to lay her eggs, immediately dedicating her life to protecting them

J 🍁🇫🇷 🇨🇦4

Ah but you see, outside of Israel in the middle east, LGBT people are basically persecuted into oblivion, you see?

Mai El-Sadany
@maitelsadany.bsky.social

This is Mona Khalil, a Lebanese environmentalist who spent many years protecting endangered sea turtles. Earlier this month, Israel struck her home in Mansouri, Tyre and today, she passed away after succumbing to her injuries. This is who Israel is killing in Lebanon.

16017h ago
Admirable Women
@admirablewomen.bsky.social

Thank you for your courage...and for your 25+ years of dedication to protecting the coastline of S. Lebanon--a crucial nesting ground for endangered green & vulnerable loggerhead sea turtles. Goodnight & godspeed, "guardian of the sea turtles," Mona Khalil.🕯️

A beautiful shot of Lebanese environmentalist and pioneer Mona al-Kahlil (August 2, 1949 – June 19, 2026) crouching low on the sand at night, sharing an intimate moment with a large, endangered green sea turtle. Positioned on the left side of the composition, Khalil has short, silver-white hair, wears a backward-facing dark baseball cap, a grey sleeveless top, and light blue jeans. She leans forward attentively with her arms resting on her knees, an expression of gentle wonder, focus, and quiet reverence on her face. Her upper left arm bears a distinct dark tattoo. Directly in front of her, a massive sea turtle rests on the beach dune, its heavy, dark carapace and patterned, flippered head facing her directly. The setting is the sandy, wild coastline of Mansouri beach in southern Lebanon, where sparse beach grass grows out of the dunes under the cover of night. The scene is bathed in a harsh flash from the camera lens, casting a stark, deep black shadow into the background and amplifying the raw, documentary feel. The overall mood is peaceful and deeply symbolic, capturing the profound connection between the legendary activist—frequently called the "guardian of the sea turtles"—and the vulnerable marine life she dedicated her life to protecting through her coastal sanctuary and the Orange House Project. She died today from severe injuries sustained during an Israeli airstrike that hit her family home on June 4, 2026. She was 76.
13513h ago
Admirable Women47

Read more about Mona Khalil and her & her team's efforts to protect sea turtles in this 2020 story from NPR. www.npr.org/sections/cor...

Drop Site
@dropsitenews.com

Israel has killed renowned Lebanese environmental activist Mona Khalil in an airstrike on her home in Mansouri, southern Lebanon. Khalil was widely known for her environmental advocacy & wildlife conservation work, particularly her efforts to protect endangered sea turtles along Lebanon’s coastline.

Nada Maucourant Atallah @MaucourantNada Very sad to learn that Mona Khalil died after weeks in the ICU following an Israeli strike that levelled her home in Mansouri. She was a very well-known environmental activist and dedicated her life to saving endangered turtles. She stayed in the south despite Israeli strikes because of her love for the land. She was a civilian, a renowned figure but Israel targeted her house. CNN profiled her in 2017 here: https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/17/middleeast/lebanon-orange-house-turtle-conservation “I live every day to the fullest and don’t worry about tomorrow,” she told the newspaper.
9112h ago
Jon Dee (JonDee.com)
@jondeeoz.bsky.social

Israel has killed the highly respected environmentalist Mona Khalil. She died after an Israeli strike levelled her home in Mansouri, Lebanon. She dedicated her life to saving endangered turtles. Why did Israel bomb her house? CNN wrote about her in 2017: edition.cnn.com/2017/08/17/m...

827h ago
Jen2

The vehemence of my desire to curse these bastards for eternity knows no limit.

Rima I Anabtawi
@rimaanabtawi.bsky.social

Mona Khalil, ‘guardian of the turtles’ of Mansouri, succumbs to injuries after Israeli strike on her home The founder of the Orange House Project had refused to leave despite the war. today.lorientlejour.com/article/1538...

6516h ago
Calvinball Congress
@emericanjezebel.bsky.social

btw @inaturalist.bsky.social this is why we have a FUCKING PROBLEM with your partnering with Isral. Mona Khalil died today. Israel killed her for the crime of protecting sea turtles.

8714h ago
Megaphone News
@megaphone.news

Mona Khalil passed away today, Friday, nearly two weeks after she was wounded in an Israeli airstrike. Mona, the owner of the Orange House, devoted herself to keeping Mansouri Beach a safe nesting ground for sea turtles, and refused to let the war force her away from it. 👉 youtu.be/ddltsMY2LY0

5714h ago
Cédric Mas
@cedricmas.bsky.social

Au Liban Mona Khalil une militante écologiste célèbre pour son engagement en faveur des tortues du Sud Liban a été tuée par une frappe israélienne. www.lorientlejour.com/article/1538...

332h ago
Chris⚖️Justice
@chrisjustice01.bsky.social

💔 Some of the innocent people killed in recent Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Muhammad, his wife Siham, and their 3 daughters. Zahra Shoaib and her parents. Mona Khalil (activist) @sarahabdallah.bsky.social

3817h ago
The New Arab
@thenewarab.bsky.social

Lebanese environmental activist Mona Khalil, who spent decades trying to protect endangered sea turtles has died from wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on her home earlier this month. Her efforts transformed a stretch of south Lebanon's coastline into a special Mediterranean's conservation site

263h ago
David M Rubin
@six18sfoundry.bsky.social

Do research Mona Khalil’s killing but this link celebrates her life w a link to donate to Lebanese wildlife. She loved turtles a lot. Heartbreaking. www.spnl.org/mona-khalil-...

1813h ago
RileyTChiweeieT14381
@rileytchiweenie2.bsky.social

RIP😔🐢LEBANESE ENVIRONMENTALIST MONA KHALIL / "GUARDIAN OF THE TURTLES" HAS DIED AFTER AN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON HER HOME IN S. LEBANON. www.cnn.com/2017/08/17/m... @peta.org @humaneworldorg.bsky.social @humaneworldeurope.bsky.social @humaneworldaus.bsky.social Speak out about how war🇵🇸🇱🇧..hurts animals

RIP😔🐢LEBANESE ENVIRONMENTALIST MONA KHALIL / "GUARDIAN OF THE TURTLES" HAS DIED AFTER AN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON HER HOME IN S. LEBANON. https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/17/middleeast/lebanon-orange-house-turtle-conservation @peta.org @humaneworldorg.bsky.social @humaneworldeurope.bsky.social @humaneworldaus.bsky.social Speak out about how war🇵🇸🇱🇧..hurts animals
911h ago
Henry from New York
@notgonnahavefun.bsky.social

I will never forget what is happening in Lebanon. Minute by minute - it’s nightmarish and evil beyond comprehension. Rest in Power, Mona Khalil

1815h ago
2 sources
newarab.comEnvironmental activist Mona Khalil, beloved turtle guardian of south Lebanon, dies of wounds sustained in Israeli attack on her homelorientlejour.comMona Khalil, « gardienne des tortues » de Mansouri, succombe à ses blessures, après une frappe israélienne sur sa maison

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