Mona Khalil dies after Israeli strike on her home

newsJun 20, 2026316,286

Mona Khalil, a 76-year-old Lebanese environmentalist who founded the Orange House Project, died on June 19, 2026, from wounds sustained when an Israeli airstrike struck her home in Mansouri in early June. The attack on June 4 destroyed the beachfront bed-and-breakfast Khalil and her life partner ran to fund decades of sea turtle research, and her partner was also wounded. Khalil spent more than 25 years protecting green and loggerhead sea turtles and turning a stretch of southern Lebanon’s coastline into a vital nesting refuge. Her death removes a longtime guardian of endangered wildlife and raises immediate concerns about the safety of nesting sites and the future of local conservation work along Lebanon’s coast.

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

396345d ago

elia ayoub412

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 Breen32

This is heartbreaking and infuriating

Henry from New York25

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 pricks10

Sickening! Enraging! They are PSYCHOPATHS. 😭

Rima I Anabtawi9

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

Jenny6

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

Molly4

Hey, I make these little "hatching" knitted turtle toys. Is there a way that I can send some somewhere to support her fundraising efforts, in her memory?

HydrologyNL2

Ow, so very sad this. Always the best people. Condolences to all, including the turtles. 🙏🕯️🕊️

Will Pollock 🏳️‍🌈 🫘 ➡️ turn 🔔 on2

I feel sick along with you.

Texas Paul

@realtexaspaul.com

Founder of the Orange House Project and protector of sea turtles, Mona Khalil, has been murdered.

58144d ago

Bradley Gore27

She was doing exactly what God wants us all to do. Stewards of life on this amazing gift of a planet. Those who killed her were doing the exact opposite.

Mari Kaye24

💔💔💔 Yes, these are human beings with lives, families and stories, not just statistics and numbers being murdered every single day. Thank you for telling Mona’s.

Lauren22

Sending my condolences to you and Mrs. Texas Paul

MM16

I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your memories of Mona.

Rob Jacobs14

If you think Trump's 60 day ceasefire (surrender) is going to survive Netanyahu's sabotage I have a bridge to sell you. If you think Trump will do anything about Netanyahu sabotaging the ceasefire I have a reflection pool to sell you too.

Titus de los Santos13

You are a beacon of hope in the divided society of the United States. You are a brave person because you dare to speak your mind in a world full of hate. Thanks Paul.

HL Mencken's Ghost12

I couldn't agree more. Benjamin Netanyahu IS a psychopath.

Caretaker12

I'm so sorry Paul. All we have in life that really matters are family, good friends and neighbors. I can't begin to imagine the heartbreak of losing a good family friend in such a terrible way.

lefwin.bsky.social10

Netanyahu and Trump are cut from the same cloth. They both should be in prison.

BeWell Antifa10

Donald Trump is a psychopath, Putin is a psychopath. The list is long. We are planet led primarily by psychopaths. I am so sorry for the loss of this beautiful woman.

Linux Kitty9

Damn, this is terrible. I hope her legacy endures.

Sunset Cove7

Thank you for telling this story about Mona, so sad that these war criminals are allowed to exist. 😢

reallydebl.bsky.social7

So sorry for your loss. It’s clear how much this has touched you personally What’s going on is sickening, tragic, criminal. It needs to stop

Mark Jones7

This story points out how bombing is just an aerial form of land mines. The bombs do not descriminate, and those who drop them know fully well that they will take innocent lives more than those of intended targets. They should not be the first go to for disputes that aren't resolved politically.

Not Penelope6

I'm so sad. Texas Paul, I've never heard it said better: "We're losing beautiful people because of ugly people."

kingbb.bsky.social5

"We lost beautiful people because of ugly people "!

(Debbie)🐕🐈🐘🐼☕️🎶⚖️🌊5

Omg I'm in tears 😭

Annie and Kojo5

It’s a struggle for those little guys to get born & reach the ocean. I’ve only seen it on tv. I’d want to pick them up & carry them 🥹 I think we’re sea turtles right now. 😕

saltine-1962.bsky.social5

I’m so sorry 😢, I’m praying for a return to kindness and beauty being the norm.

jackiefromtexas4

😞😞😞 I had this discussion with my nephew just yesterday. All the wrong people are being killed and the psychopaths like Bibi, Trump, and Kegbreath are getting away with it. This has to stop.

Andrene@phytobelief4

And they tell me there is a god.

Lynn V of Perry3

💔 What's wrong with this world?😥

Keith3

My condolences to you, Mrs. Texas Paul, and Mona's family.

JohnLalita3

Dreadful, so sad and sorry to learn this..❤️❤️❤️

GeekyGenie2

Bibi really is a psychopath and a war criminal. He must be brought to justice.

Azteca2

Thank you for sharing the story of Mona. Beautiful woman. May her light shine onward.

Twostones💙🌊🌻🇨🇦🇲🇽🇺🇦🕊2

This is a War criminal, murderer and butcher of children! He belongs in hell!

pamballard3.bsky.social2

Yes, Netanyahu is a murderer. How he is still in power, is a crime. He needs to be in prison the rest of his life.

thehoodedclaw.bsky.social2

I wasn't expecting that ending so sad. The USA can end this. Not another cent in aid to Isreal.

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

41345d ago

Cat Cordeiro20

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 🍁🇫🇷 🇨🇦8

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.

21845d ago

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.

12645d ago

Lotta4

💔 They commit ecocide with their war and now they even kill those fighting for a better world. Insane.

Harleydadd2

Israel is a country of beneath human animals. Elimination is the only path to peace. Israel will NEVER cease their genocides and land grabs.

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.

16345d ago

Admirable Women60

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...

Blue_Riverrrr3

Where is the global outrage?! How many innocent people have to be murdered in Israel’s quest for ethnocentric expansionism before international condemnation & sanctions?! What the hell is going on?! Independent journalists question Congressmen & women about Israel’s genocide & they shrug it off.

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...

10245d ago

Jen3

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

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

9345d 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.

12445d ago

Russell England

@russellengland.bsky.social

Israel bombed a turtle sanctuary and killed 76 year old ecologist Mona Khalil Her house was painted orange due to her connection to the Netherlands - pretty easy to distinguish

7344d ago

Bust_Dunny6

No-one - or nothing - is safe from Israel. No principles, no compassion, no sense of decency.

Joshua Casey 😷🎮🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦🇵🇸4

Israel doesn't care. They are terrorists that are desperate to kill as much as they can get away with (and unfortunately the world is willing to let them get away with A LOT of murder.....and sexual assaults, too, to be fair)

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...

7345d 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

6145d 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...

4445d 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

4045d ago

Peter Murphy

@peterwmurphy1.bsky.social

Israel murdered highly respected environmentalist 76yo Mona Khalil. Israeli bombed her family home in Mansouri, Lebanon in early June. Khalil died of her injuries on 19June26. She had dedicated her life to saving endangered turtles. aje.news/ju32zh #IsraeliTerrorism #LebanonUnderAttack

Text: This conservationist dedicated her life to protecting Lebanon's turtles. Israel killed her.

2444d ago

2 sources

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

Four hospitalized after man with weapon roams Edinburghnews King Charles to reveal personal tax bill for first time as monarchnews Memo by Rubio approved detention of Colombian immigrantnews UK study: SUV buyers undeterred by pedestrian‑safety warningsnews

Mona Khalil dies after Israeli strike on her home

Related