Precautions against attack (sometimes called "passive precautions") are the obligations imposed on the defending party in an armed conflict to shield its own civilian population and civilian objects from the effects of enemy operations. They are the counterpart to precautions in attack, which bind the attacker.
The core treaty rule is Article 58 of Additional Protocol I (1977) to the Geneva Conventions. It requires parties, "to the maximum extent feasible," to:
- Remove civilians, the wounded and sick, and civilian objects from the vicinity of military objectives;
- Avoid locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas; and
- Take other necessary precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects under their control from the dangers resulting from military operations.
The ICRC's 2005 Customary International Humanitarian Law Study identifies these obligations (Rules 22–24) as customary law applicable in both international and non-international armed conflicts, binding even on states not party to AP I.
The qualifier "to the maximum extent feasible" recognises that defenders may face geographic, demographic, or military constraints — small or urbanised territories may make full separation impossible. However, feasibility is not a blanket excuse: deliberately co-locating forces, command posts, or weapons with civilians can constitute the war crime of using human shields (Article 51(7) AP I; Rome Statute Article 8(2)(b)(xxiii)).
Importantly, a defender's failure to take these precautions does not release the attacker from its own obligations of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack. This point was emphasised in commentary surrounding the 2006 Lebanon war, the 2008–09 Gaza conflict (UN Goldstone Report), and subsequent reviews of urban warfare in Mosul, Mariupol, and Gaza.
Typical compliance measures include zoning laws keeping bases away from schools and hospitals, civil-defence shelter networks, evacuation planning, and clear marking of protected sites such as hospitals (distinctive emblems under GC I and IV).
Example
During the 2006 Lebanon war, observers debated whether Hezbollah's positioning of rocket launchers in southern Lebanese villages breached its Article 58 duty to keep military objectives away from civilians.