The illegality of Houthi attacks that threatened holy cities

On Oct. 24, Saudi air defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles heading toward the regions of Makkah and Madinah. Debris fell in four places between Jeddah and Taif. Six days later, a drone was shot down near Makkah. The Houthis denied targeting the holy cities, saying they aimed only at oil facilities and military bases.

That denial deserves a legal answer because it rests on a misunderstanding of the law. International humanitarian law does not ask only what an attacker says it was aiming at. It asks what the attacker could reasonably foresee.

The rule against indiscriminate attacks is one of the foundations of the law of war. It prohibits weapons that cannot be directed at a specific military objective and attacks whose effects cannot be limited.