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Bombing Syrian Weapons Might Be Against International Law for Now — But It’s Morally Right
Rebel fighters holds weapons at the Citadel of Aleppo, after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted Bashar al-Assad, in Aleppo, Syria, Dec. 9, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
Since the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Israel has been bombing Syrian military bases like there’s a going out of business sale. Israel’s air force carried out about 350 strikes in just 48 hours, destroying around 80 percent of Syria’s military. And Israel is not alone — the United States claims to have also attacked around 75 targets, and Turkey is said to be involved as well. The rationale is that the intentions of Syria’s new rulers are unclear, and this will prevent them from having access to weapons should they prove hostile.
Predictably, these strikes have been condemned as a violation of international law. The spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General called the decision to destroy chemical and other weapons a violation of Syria’s territorial integrity, and said the change of regime should not be used by other countries as an opportunity to encroach on Syrian territory. Various other countries also condemned these strikes as exploiting Syria’s instability and violating international norms.
They’re right about one thing. There’s no question these attacks are illegal.
Article 51 of the United Nations Charter makes clear that “self-defense if an armed attack occurs’” is the only justification for a country to use force absent authorization by the Security Council. While there is much debate about when a preemptive strike can be considered self-defense, it is generally agreed that in order to qualify, a preemptive strike must be aimed at preventing an imminent attack. The Syrian military equipment being bombed was sitting idle or in storage, currently not being used to threaten Israel or the US.
But here’s the other thing — while these attacks are illegal, they are also right.
The premise of these condemnations is that international law grants countries the right to arm themselves and form a military. One country cannot legally stop another from acquiring arms. This is considered a part of sovereignty. The Assad regime, by virtue of being Syria’s ruler, had the right to a military. Now the rebels, because they have chased out Assad and now form Syria’s government, are thereby entitled to a military too.
But shouldn’t there be some standards regarding who can possess weapons with vast destructive power?
In the United States, where gun ownership is a right, courts have still found that laws restricting felons from possessing firearms are reasonable and therefore pass Constitutional muster. This is because if someone has committed a felony in the past, there is increased risk they will use a gun for illegal purposes in the future. Shouldn’t we apply at least that same logic here?
The rebel organization responsible for overthrowing Assad is Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). They are designated as a terror group in many Western countries due to their affiliation with Al-Qaeda.
Its leader fought against the US in Iraq and was a member of the Islamic State. HTS’ and other groups’ animosity towards Israel and the West, and their violent threats against both are well known. The United Nations has documented widespread human rights abuses in the territory under HTS control before it took over the rest of the country.
Many Western countries are hoping that HTS has turned over a new leaf, and now that it is governing all of Syria, it will live in peace with its neighbors and not repeat the previous regime’s atrocities. There is talk of lifting its terrorist designation if it takes steps in that direction.
Let’s hope that is what happens. But in the meantime, it makes sense not to allow them to possess advanced arms and maybe even chemical weapons.
Of course, countries can’t be permitted to bomb one another’s military equipment whenever they wish. If countries did that whenever they got the chance for the sole purpose of preventing unspecified, hypothetical future attacks, there would never be peace or security.
But international law is mistaken in immediately bestowing all the privileges of sovereignty onto an armed group just because it managed to seize territory with a permanent population, thereby qualifying as a state. A felon may be a US citizen, but they are still not allowed to possess a firearm. A rebel group that overthrows a government and takes over a country may thereby join the community of nations, but it should not be allowed to inherit a vast store of weapons until it proves it will handle them responsibly.
It’s important to note that it looks like the US and Israel have managed to conduct their Syria bombing campaigns without causing any loss of life. They may be legally in the wrong, but morally they’re in the right.
Shlomo Levin is the author of the Human Rights Haggadah, and he writes about legal developments related to human rights issues of interest to the Jewish community. You can find him at https://hrhaggadah.com/.
The post Bombing Syrian Weapons Might Be Against International Law for Now — But It’s Morally Right first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.