Trump Threatens Broad Attacks in Iran. How Is Illegal Conduct in War Defined?

It is illegal for any military to target civilians, as President Trump has suggested he would in threats against Iran. But the U.S. has sought significant leeway in defining a civilian target.Airstrikes demolished Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran. The U.S. military’s law of war manual states that “the protection of civilians against the harmful effects of hostilities is one of the main purposes of the law of war.”