Reflections on the Legal Status of Drone Strikes Against Terrorism

In recent decades, the Middle East has been the scene of armed conflicts between ultra-regional powers and some regional states and non-state actors, such as terrorist groups. During the past decade the use of drones for bombing, assassination, detection and espionage by ultra-regional states has been prevalent under various pretexts in the Middle East region, which has mostly led to the violation of state sovereignty of regional states. This violation of sovereignty has always been legally justified by the ultra-regional governments. The major part of such justifications has been based upon the legal challenges on the rules governing the use of drones. They are, in fact, considered as coverage for illegal activities of these states. These challenges have largely been in line with the interpretation of the provisions against the use of force and self-defense, the rules governing the conflicts and the rules of humanitarian law and fight against terrorism. Therefore, a clear understanding and interpretation of these challenges and resolving them according to international legal rules can provide a realistic picture of the status quo and leads to a more accurate understanding of the international law in this field.