|käsəsˈbeˌlē, |kāsəsˈbeˌlī noun
( plural casus belli “)
Etymology: New Latin, occasion of war
1. : an event, circumstance, or action that justifies the making of war (as interference with the exercise of a nation's rights or injury to a nation's vital interest or national honor)
2. : a cause or occasion for war or other strife : an excuse for declaring war
greeting an oil embargo as a casus belli — John Gunther