Jus ad Bellum

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Members of the UN Security Council listen as Ambassador Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN, speaks during an emergency meeting at the United Nations Headquarters on June 13, 2025 in New York City (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Indefensible: Israel’s Unlawful Attack on Iran

Part of our ongoing series on the Israel-Iran war.
Members of the UN Security Council hold an emergency meeting to discuss Israeli strikes on Iran. UN headquarters, June 13, 2025 (UN Photo/Loey Felipe)

A New War or a New Stage in an Ongoing War – Observations on June 13 Israeli Attack against Iran

"Another legal framework – the ongoing armed conflict framework – is more factually and legally viable than the anticipatory or preventive self-defense frameworks."
This picture taken from a position in southern Israel, on the border with the Gaza Strip, shows destroyed buildings in the besieged territory on May 27, 2025. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images) 

The Illegality of Israel’s Military Offensive in Gaza

Analysis of jus ad bellum with Israel’s stated objectives for its current military operations in Gaza.
Satellite image of the orbit of ASAT debris from a China ASAT weapons test in 2022.

Balancing State Security and Peace and Security in Outer Space: What Role for International Law on the Use of Force?

Understanding jus ad bellum necessity and proportionality is crucial to addressing concerns regarding the weaponization of outer space.
A person wearing a Panamanian flag steps on a U.S. flag.

Upending the International Order: Why Undermining the UN Charter and US Defense Commitments is Self-Defeating

The President should understand that bellicose threats and unreliability as an ally may leave the United States poorer and more vulnerable on his watch and will frustrate his nuclear…
Gavel on an old world map

The Resilience of International Law in the Face of Empire

We may be effectively reverting, at least temporarily, to an era of imperial rule. But history has demonstrated that international law has a long memory. Lawyers and historians…
F-35 fighter aircraft against blue sky with two white contrails.

Making Sense of International Law in Light of Israel and Iran’s Latest Round of “Retaliation”

The current round of retaliatory strikes between Israel and Iran casts light on Israel's and Iran’s opposing political strategies, which also have significant legal implications…
A local volunteer looks at a building damaged by Ukrainian strikes in Kursk on August 16, 2024, following Ukraine's offensive into Russia's western Kursk region.

Ukraine’s Incursion into Kursk Oblast: A Lawful Case of Defensive Invasion?

The UN Charter, the law on the use of force, and the conditions that body of law places on Ukraine's military operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Smoke billows from a city neighborhood of tan, brown buildings.

Assessing Jus Ad Bellum Proportionality: A Factored Approach

Nine factors, considered in their totality, would provide a more nuanced understanding of jus ad bellum proportionality and assist States in identifying specific concerns with…
Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, women fighters walk to reach a check point in the outskirts of the destroyed Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, Syria. June 20, 2015.

Violence as Redress: A Right to Rebellion for Armed Groups under International Law?

A right to rebellion offers a way to recognize grievances and deescalate the violence of armed groups, and affirms the place of international law in holding States to account for…
Fighters from the Free Syrian Army cheer and react as they fight against the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists on the outskirts of the northern Syrian town of Dabiq, on October 15, 2016.

Armed Groups and International Law: Introduction to the Symposium

An exploration of armed groups and international law outside of conflict; the criminal liability of armed groups and their members; rebel governance; and the role of armed groups…
The U.N. Security Council sits in around a large open circular table, with a mural in the background.

Q&A with Eliav Lieblich on Iran-Israel Hostilities

Expert insight on the legality of recent attacks by Iran and Israel, how domestic politics could impact an Israeli response, and prospects for de-escalation.
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