Noun
an event used to justify starting a war
Source: WordNetIn 1995, the Turkish National Assembly declared casus belli (cause of war) a possible extension of Greek territorial waters in the Aegean to 12 miles, authorising the government to take all necessary measures if Greece made such a move. Source: Internet
One of the stated casus belli for the initiation of the 2003 Iraq War was an accusation by the United States that Iraq was actively pursuing nuclear arms (though this was soon discovered not to be the case as the program had been discontinued). Source: Internet
Incidentally, it was not the so-called bloated list that caused the five month electoral troubles, in the circumstances the current voters’ list should not be the casus belli. Source: Internet
Economic factors were a common casus belli. Source: Internet
However, the initial casus belli was claimed to be support for a Kuwaiti rebellion. Source: Internet
Sinop provided the United Kingdom and France with the casus belli ("cause for war") for declaring war against Russia. Source: Internet