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February 2, 2015

U.S.-Israeli Assassination of Hezbollah Commander Raises Concerns of Legality and Potential Reprisals 
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The killing of former senior Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyah raises a
number of legal and political issues. Its approval required a
presidential finding by President George W. Bush and the endorsement of
several top Cabinet officials, including the attorney general. Of the
use of a car bomb to kill a target, Mary Ellen O’Connell, a professor
of international law at the University of Notre Dame, said: "It is a
killing method used by terrorists and gangsters. It violates one of the
oldest battlefield rules." With CIA involvement confirmed, the
disclosure could also set off retaliatory strikes by Hezbollah against
U.S. targets around the world. It comes just days after Hezbollah and
Israel exchanged fire in one of their most violent clashes since the
2006 war.

 

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