Mona Khalil, a 76-year-old Lebanese environmental activist who single-handedly turned a stretch of southern Lebanon's coastline into a VIP nesting lounge for endangered sea turtles, has died from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike two weeks ago. The strike hit her home on Mansouri beach near Tyre, and she passed away Friday after days in the hospital, according to local environmental group Green Southerners.

Khalil's death comes amid intensified Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon, raising concerns that the region's fragile peace is about as stable as a sandcastle at high tide. The BBC has reached out to the Israeli military for comment, but they're probably busy.

For over 25 years, Khalil dedicated herself to protecting loggerhead and green sea turtles, which nest along Lebanon's southern coast. Her journey began in 1999 with a life-changing encounter - she saw a green turtle laying eggs on Mansouri beach. A refugee of the Lebanese civil war living in the Netherlands, she was visiting her family's seaside home. She learned that sea turtle populations were under threat, so she decided to do something about it. By 2000, she had co-founded the Orange House Project, an eco-tourism and conservation centre overlooking Mansouri beach. What started as a small guesthouse evolved into a hub for environmental education, wildlife protection, and marine research.

Khalil spent decades monitoring nesting sites, documenting marine life, and campaigning against coastal development, pollution, and destructive fishing practices. Her efforts helped secure protected status for parts of the coastline and raised awareness about threats to marine ecosystems. Despite years of conflict, she remained committed - her home was damaged during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, but she refused to abandon the beach she had protected.

"Mona barricaded herself inside her house, receiving no visitors and believing she was safe because she is a civilian," said friend and environmental activist Maha Joumaa. "She absolutely refused to be displaced, which was fitting for someone so determined."

Environmental groups say Khalil's legacy will endure through the conservation movement she built and the generations of turtles that continue to return to Lebanon's shores. Paul Abi Rached, president of Terre Liban, recalled taking his children to visit Khalil in 2017, when they helped release baby sea turtles onto the sand. "Her love for the turtles was evident in every word and every action, but so was her love for people," he said. "That, perhaps, is Mona's greatest legacy - she did not only protect turtles; she inspired people to care about them."