Law hates surprise wars. If the US and Israel call Feb 28, 2026 a pre-emptive necessity under self-defense, they still have to square it with Article 51 and the duty to report to the UN Security Council. Leadership targeting is not a magic word that dissolves sovereignty, it is the fastest way to turn a conflict into a vendetta. In Washington, the War Powers Resolution expects a 48-hour notification and then the clock starts ticking, and that political machinery matters because it shapes how long this lasts. Counterargument: Iran fields missiles and air defenses that threaten civilians, so striking first saves lives. But law is precisely designed for hard cases, not for the easy stories we tell ourselves at night. When rules become optional for the powerful, they become irrelevant for everyone else, and then small states pay in blood and embargoes. India should be wary of cheering any precedent that normalizes cross-border decapitation strikes. Today it is Tehran; tomorrow another capital becomes a target because someone coined a heroic operation name.