Israeli attack kills famed turtle sanctuary ecologist in Lebanon

Mona Khalil, a Lebanese marine activist who built the Orange House Project near Tyre into a renowned turtle sanctuary, has died from injuries after an Israeli airstrike struck her home earlier this month. The 77-year-old hosted volunteers and visitors at a coastal site devoted to protecting nesting loggerhead and green sea turtles and cared for rescued dogs and cats in a flower-filled courtyard. Her Ethiopian assistant was injured but is recovering. Khalil’s work earned her broad respect in Lebanon’s environmental movement, and Green Southerners condemned the attack, calling for accountability and continued protection of Lebanon’s marine habitats.