Zagreb rocket attacks

Overview

The Zagreb rocket attacks were two rocket attacks conducted by the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina that used multiple rocket launchers to strike the Croatian capital of Zagreb during the Croatian War of Independence. The attack killed seven and wounded over 200 Croatian and foreign civilians. The missile attack was carried out on 2 May and 3 May 1995 as retaliation for the Croatian army's offensive in Operation Flash. The rocket attacks deliberately targeted civilian locations. Zagreb was the largest of several cities hit by the attack. It was not the only instance in the war in Croatia that cluster bombs were used in combat.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Zagreb rocket attacks marked one of the most direct strikes on a national capital during the Croatian War of Independence. Carried out by the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina using multiple rocket launchers on 2–3 May 1995, the attacks were an explicit retaliatory response to the Croatian army's Operation Flash offensive. Seven civilians were killed and over 200 wounded, including foreign nationals, as the rockets deliberately targeted civilian locations in Zagreb and several other cities. The use of cluster munitions in a populated capital drew international attention to the conflict at a critical juncture. The attacks underscored the Krajina Serb forces' capacity and willingness to strike deep into Croatian-controlled territory even as Croatian military operations were gaining momentum, but they did not halt Operation Flash or reverse its outcomes.

Forces & casualties