Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did NATO air strikes change the course of the Bosnian War?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Bosnian conflict: destruction in Sarajevo — Bosnian War Buildings and vehicles destroyed in Grbavica, a suburb of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian conflict (1992–95).

NATO air strikes played a decisive role in shifting the momentum of the Bosnian War toward a negotiated settlement. While initial NATO actions in 1994—such as shooting down aircraft violating the no-fly zone and conducting isolated, ineffective strikes—had limited impact, the strategy evolved significantly by late 1995.12

Following the Srebrenica massacre and a subsequent Bosnian Serb attack on a Sarajevo marketplace, NATO launched a campaign of concentrated air strikes against Bosnian Serb targets. These strikes, combined with a large-scale land offensive by Bosniak-Croat forces, fundamentally altered the balance of power on the ground.12

The military pressure exerted by these coordinated actions compelled Bosnian Serb leaders to agree to U.S.-sponsored peace talks. This shift in momentum directly facilitated the Dayton Accords in November 1995, which established a federalized state and brought an end to the conflict.12