In international law, “attacks” are acts of violence against the adversary, whether in offence or defence and in whatever territory conducted.

This definition applies to

  1. any act of land, air or sea warfare which may affect the civilian population or civilian objects on land;
  2. all attacks from the sea or the air against objectives on land.

Attacks on the civilian population as such, acts of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population, and indiscriminate attacks on specified categories of places and civilian objects are prohibited. Precautions must be taken in preparing and carrying out attacks and against the effects of attacks.

 LEGAL SOURCE

PI, 49/1

CASEs

Libya, NATO Intervention 2011

ICRC, International Humanitarian Law and the challenges of contemporary armed conflicts in 2015 (Paras. 210, 211)

ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Radovan Karadzic

Syria, Report by UN Commission of Inquiry (March 2017)

Iraq/Syria/UK, Drone Operations against ISIS

Israel/Palestine, Accountability for the Use of Lethal Force

ICC, Confirmation of Charges against LRA Leader

ICRC, Statement - War in Cities ; What is at Stake?

Belgium, Prosecution of Terrorist Crimes in the context of Armed Conflict

Iraq, The Battle for Mosul

Eastern Ukraine, Attacks Against and Military Use of Schools

Eastern Ukraine, OHCHR Report on the Situation: November 2016 - February 2017

Central African Republic, No Class: When Armed Groups Use Schools

Kenya, Civilian Carnage

 BIBLIOGRAPHIC RESOURCES

DOWNES Alexander B., Targeting Civilians in War, Ithaca, London, Cornell University Press, 2008, 315 pp. 
 
OLASOLO Héctor, Unlawful Attacks in Combat Situations: from the ICTY’s Case Law to the Rome Statute, Leiden, M. Nijhoff, 2008, 288 pp.
 
ROSEN Richard D., “Targeting Enemy Forces in the War on Terror: Preserving Civilian Immunity”, in Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 42, No. 3, May 2009, pp. 683-777.

 
Precautions against the effect of attacks

See Precautions in attack;
 
Prohibited attacks against the civilian population or intended to spread terror among the civilian population

See also Civilian population; Terror;
 

 OUTLINE

Chapter 9, a) attacks against the civilian population as such (including those intended to spread terror)

 LEGAL SOURCE

PI, 51/2

CIHL, 2

 DOCUMENT

ICRC Appeals on the Near East (C. Para. 7)

 CASES

AI, Breach of the Principle of Distinction

ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Martic (A. Paras. 8, 10-14 and 24-32)

ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Rajic (A. Paras. 51-56)

ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Galic (Paras. 16-137 and 561)

ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Strugar (A. and B., Paras. 220-222 and 280-288)

Iran, Victim of Cyber warfare

Against civilian objects

See also Civilian objects;

 OUTLINE

Chapter 9, b) attacks against civilian objects

 LEGAL SOURCE

PI, 52/1

CIHL, 10

 CASES

Iran/Iraq, UN SC Assessing Violations of IHL

ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Strugar (B. Paras. 223-228 and 282)

Iran, Victim of Cyber warfare

Afghanistan, Bombing of a Civilian Truck

Syria, the Battle for Aleppo

Against the civilian population by way of reprisals

See Reprisals;
 

Indiscriminate attacks

See Indiscriminate attack;
 

 LEGAL SOURCE

CIHL, 11

 CASE

ICTY, The Prosecutor v. Galic (Paras. 372-387)

Iran, Victim of Cyber warfare

Against non defended localities

See Non-defended localities;