The Iran, Lebanon and Gaza Conflicts: Learning Lessons

This roundtable discussed in-depth a series of technical law of war and international humanitarian law questions relevant to the Iran, Lebanon and Gaza conflicts since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. It follows the 23 March 2026 roundtable in the CILRAP Bottega on the Gaza conflict. It was convened by CILRAP in the historic Salone Poccetti hall in the UNESCO-protected Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence.

As with the March 2026 roundtable, this event was initiated by CILRAP’s Advisory Board member, ret. Norwegian Judge Advocate General Arne Willy Dahl (former President, International Society for Military Law and the Law of War (ISMLLW)), and chaired by him and CILRAP’s Director Morten Bergsmo. The participating legal experts included Lt. Col. Berger (Head of the Emerging Technologies and Legal Development Branch, International Law Division, IDF), Emiliano J. Buis (Professor, University of Buenos Aires), Gunnar M. Ekeløve-Slydal (Adjunct Professor, University of Southeast Norway; Director, CICJ), Gloria Gaggioli (Professor, University of Geneva), Wolff E.M. Heintschel von Heinegg (ISMLLW President and Professor Emeritus, Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt), Cecilie Hellestveit (Associate Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Brigadier General Katzir (former Head of the International Law Division, IDF), Mark Klamberg (Professor, Stockholm University), Jann K. Kleffner (Professor, Swedish Defence University), Claus Kress (Professor, Cologne University), Natalia Luterstein (Professor, University of Buenos Aires), Michael A. Newton (Professor, Vanderbilt University Law School), Roger M. O’Keefe (Professor, Bocconi University), Daphné Richemond-Barak (Professor, Reichman University), and Dr. Song Tianying (CILRAP Research Fellow and Member, CICJ Steering Group). They were assisted by CILRAP Fellows Antonio Angotti, Laetitia Helene Bergsmo and Rohit Gupta.  

Four of the roundtable sessions focussed on the Iran conflict specifically: Session 1: Jus ad Bellum in the Context of Iran; Session 2: Distinction – Political Leaders as Targets; Session 3: Attacks on Income-Generating Exports – Customary Law Developments; and Session 4: Naval Warfare. Two detailed sessions concentrated on the Gaza conflict: Session 6: The Obligation to Respect and Protect Hospitals in Gaza; and Session 7: Legal Aspects of Large-Scale Ground Operations. Two sessions addressed international criminal law and accountability for core international crimes: Session 5: Accountability Mechanisms and Efforts; and Session 8: From the Battlefield to the Courts. The roundtable concluded with a session on the current prospects for peace in the region: Session 9: ‘The Day After’.

CILRAP Conversations recorded in connection with the 260323 roundtable are linked to above.