Feasible precautions is a core rule of international humanitarian law (IHL) requiring belligerents to do everything practicable to spare civilians and civilian objects when planning, deciding on, and carrying out military operations. The duty applies both to those launching attacks (precautions in attack) and to defenders operating in or near civilian areas (precautions against the effects of attacks).
The principal treaty source is Additional Protocol I (1977) to the Geneva Conventions, particularly Article 57 (precautions in attack) and Article 58 (precautions against the effects of attacks). Article 57 obliges those who plan or decide on an attack to:
- verify that targets are military objectives;
- choose means and methods of attack that minimise incidental civilian harm;
- assess whether expected civilian harm would be excessive relative to the anticipated military advantage (the proportionality test); and
- cancel or suspend an attack if it becomes apparent the target is not military or the attack would be disproportionate.
Where a choice between several military objectives offers a similar military advantage, the one expected to cause the least danger to civilians must be selected. Effective advance warning must be given of attacks that may affect the civilian population, unless circumstances do not permit.
"Feasible" is generally understood as "practicable or practically possible, taking into account all circumstances ruling at the time, including humanitarian and military considerations." This formulation appears in several weapons treaties, including Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW).
The rule is widely recognised as customary international law applicable in both international and non-international armed conflicts, as reflected in Rules 15–24 of the ICRC's Customary IHL Study. Failure to take feasible precautions can constitute a war crime where it leads to indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks. Disputes frequently arise over what was feasible given available intelligence, time pressure, and weapons choice — making the standard fact-intensive and often contested in post-conflict accountability processes.
Example
In its 2009 Goldstone Report on the Gaza conflict, the UN Fact-Finding Mission examined whether Israeli forces had taken feasible precautions, including effective advance warnings, before strikes on densely populated areas.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Article 58 of Additional Protocol I requires parties to remove civilians from the vicinity of military objectives and avoid locating military targets in densely populated areas, to the maximum extent feasible.
Keep learning