Can a War Target a Foreign Leader? Iran Case Tests International Law

The article weighs whether the US-Israel strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader was legally permissible, noting that civilian leaders who command militaries can be targets in an active war, but any attack violating the UN Charter is illegal; it questions whether there was a genuine imminent threat, whether Congress or the UN Security Council authorized the action, and how the assassination ban and state-responsibility doctrines would apply.