Lebanese marine ecologist Mona Khalil dies after Israeli attack

Mona Khalil, a Lebanese marine ecologist widely known for her decades-long work to protect sea turtles, has died after being critically injured in an Israeli strike on her home near Tyre last week.

The 77-year-old conservationist died from her injuries on Friday, as Israel intensified air attacks on southern Lebanon, killing at least 50 people and injuring dozens, Al Jazeera reports.

"It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Mona Khalil today," environmental group Live Love Tyre said in a Facebook statement on Friday.

"She will be remembered through an incredible legacy. Through it all, Mona chose to stay and care for the turtles of Live Love Tyre. Her life was selfless and impactful."

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1949, Khalil spent years abroad before settling in southern Lebanon.

Her journey into turtle conservation began in 1999, after she saw a turtle coming ashore to lay eggs on al-Mansouri beach near Tyre. The encounter led her to devote her life to protecting marine wildlife.

For decades, Khalil worked to safeguard nesting grounds for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles along Lebanon's southern coastline.

Both species face severe threats from coastal development, plastic waste, fishing nets and light pollution, and are at risk change of disappearing from the eastern Mediterranean.

In 2000, Khalil helped establish the Orange House, an eco-tourism initiative on al-Mansouri beach. She also documented marine life in southern Lebanon and campaigned against pollution along the country's coast.

Journalist and volunteer Fadia Joumaa, who worked closely with Khalil, paid tribute to her on Facebook.

"You have left us yet you remain within us – we, your children," she said.

Khalil's death "is a loss for all of Lebanon… not just for us. A loss for the life you guarded so faithfully," Joumaa added.