NATO Bombs Yugoslavia

Setting the scene

NATO began bombing Yugoslavia on March 24, 1999, in Operation Allied Force, to stop ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo by Serbian forces under Slobodan Milošević. The bombing lasted 78 days, targeting military and infrastructure sites across Serbia and Kosovo. It was NATO's first war against a sovereign state and was conducted without UN Security Council approval due to expected Russian veto.

What happened

The campaign involved 38,000 sorties and dropped 28,000 bombs, including controversial cluster munitions and depleted uranium. NATO accidentally bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade on May 7, killing three journalists. Serbian forces expelled 800,000 Kosovar Albanians during the bombing. Milošević agreed to withdraw on June 3, and NATO troops entered Kosovo June 12.

Why it still matters

The bombing ended the Kosovo War and led to Kosovo's eventual independence in 2008, but it was controversial—critics called it illegal aggression, and it killed 500 Serbian civilians. It demonstrated NATO's willingness to intervene for humanitarian reasons, establishing the 'responsibility to protect' doctrine. The 1999 bombing also damaged Russia-West relations, as Russia opposed NATO expansion. March 24, 1999, marked a new era of humanitarian intervention.

Background

Milosevic withdrew forces; he later faced trial.