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Lebanese Turtle Advocate Mona Khalil Dies After Her Home Was Hit in Southern Lebanon

Her death raises concern that recent strikes in southern Lebanon are causing civilian harm.

Overview

  • Local groups say Khalil was wounded when her home at al‑Mansouri beach near Tyre was struck earlier this month and she later died from those injuries.
  • The Israel Defense Forces told CNN it had not targeted Khalil and said there is no known IDF strike in which she was injured, leaving responsibility contested.
  • Khalil ran the Orange House eco‑tourism project and spent more than two decades protecting endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles at Mansouri beach.
  • Her assistant was seriously injured and suffered severe burns in the same strike, and environmental groups and volunteers publicly mourned Khalil’s loss.
  • Conservationists warn that Khalil’s death removes a key local guardian of nesting grounds and could weaken efforts to protect turtles that face threats from development, pollution, fishing nets, and light at night.