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Notes -
From what I understand, there's no limitations in a time of war on striking enemy combatants. Although there are certainly political questions of proportionality, from what I understand under international law if I sink your rowboat you are entirely justified in sinking my aircraft carrier.
The question of proportionality kicks in when you're considering civilian collateral – so for instance you are probably not justified in nuking downtown Los Angeles to destroy a single military rowboat. But you probably would be justified in launching a conventional strike on San Diego to hit the military base there if it is calibrated to cause as few civilian casualties as possible while achieving its desired military effect.
Note that I am not a lawyer though.
Yes, that's exactly what it means. Now, how many civilian casualties are acceptable per military target is very wishy-washy, depending on the country and their situation, and for good reason! We don't want soldiers to say, "Well, per international law, if I have two civilians with me at all times (or five for two soldiers, nine for three, and scaling up), we're legally and/or doctrinaly unassailable."
It's a bad idea to impose a kill limit on your own troops
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