Mona Khalil

Mona al-Khalil (2 August 1949 – 19 June 2026), commonly known as Mona Khalil , was a Lebanese conservationist, environmentalist and biologist who specialised in the protection of endangered sea turtles. Khalil was seriously injured in a June 2026 Israeli attack in the southern part of the country during the 2026 Lebanon war, and died of her wounds two weeks later.

Early life Khalil was born to a Lebanese family in 1949 in Lagos, Nigeria. As a child, she attended school in Beirut and visited the beach in Southern Lebanon during the summer. Khalil lived in the Netherlands for more than 10 years, including several years during the Lebanese Civil War, and was employed by a museum to restore porcelain.

Environmental activism In 1999, Khalil travelled to Lebanon. She stayed in her family home in Al-Mansouri which her grandfather had built in the 1970s She found out that turtles were endangered in Lebanon and resolved to help protect them. They painted the facades orange and called it the "Orange House", because the colour is associated with the Netherlands.

Over three years, Khalil and Fayed were trained by scientists from the Athens-based NGO Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET) to establish a monitoring programme, collect data and protect the turtles' nests. According to Khalil, local residents had avoided the beach during the Israeli occupation. After the Israeli military withdrew in 2000, locals returned to the area and disturbed the turtles by leaving trash, stealing eggs, and using harmful fishing practices. Khalil recounted being threatened and shot at by local fishermen who opposed her conservation efforts, but after several years they left her alone and stopped using dynamite for fishing. Khalil also asked local UN peacekeepers to stop throwing trash in the water.

During the 2006 Lebanon War, Khalil and Fayed initially stayed in their home because it was hatching season. While they were gone, an Israeli strike damaged part of their home. According to Khalil and Fayed, it was the best season since the start of the project, because the fighting kept people away from the beach.

After Khalil retired in 2022, her turtle conservation efforts were continued by volunteers whom she had mentored. Their work was hindered by Israeli airstrikes on the beach during the 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire.

Death

During the 2024 Lebanon War, Khalil regretted evacuating her home for Beirut. Her assistant, Hawa, was injured with second degree burns and ran to get help from the Lebanese army. Both were treated at Jabal Amel Hospital and underwent several surgeries, after which their condition initially stabilized. Local environmental group, Green Southerners, alleged that the attack on Khalil's home was part of a pattern of Israeli attacks on environmentalists and attempts to forcibly displace residents. The next day, a memorial service was held in Beirut.

Her death was mourned by local environmentalists, including Live Love Beirut, Terre Liban, Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon, and Green Southerners.

Research publications