The article is devoted to the today’s most pressing topic of targeted killings during international and non-international armed conflicts. It was discovered that the considerable spread of such killings in recent years necessarily leads to an increase in cases of illegal deprivation of the right to life. The extreme danger and insufficient regulation of targeted killings determine an importance of such scientific research. The article defines “targeted killing”, its features and the conditions under which such a killing can be considered legitimate in armed conflicts. Using the example of Israel and the United States the specific cases of targeted killings were analyzed, the possible co-damage and the danger that arises during its implementation were researched, the state’s policy toward this question and possible alternatives were discussed. Despite the fact that the targeted killings minimize the incidental harm, it is concluded that it has numerous disadvantages caused by its potential misuse. In order to eliminate these disadvantages and protect the right to life of people during armed conflicts the rules for states were formulated, which they should follow in targeted killings

Keywords: targeted killings, targeted killings in IHL, right to life, targeted killings in armed conflicts, armed conflicts