At various times throughout 1992 and 1993, however, the Croatian civil war interrupted this routine, as Serb rebels launched assaults on that ancient city.

Villagers on Iz told The Light of watching a Serb commander telling CNN that by the next day, Zadar would fall to the Serbs. In fact, government forces in Zadar were able to stop the Serb advance but were unable to keep Serb artillery from shelling the city from nearby hills and the sea.

In the fighting so far, at least 300 civilians have been killed in Zadar.

The villagers said watching the shelling from offshore seemed like watching a frightening fireworks display. Each time a shell hit Zadar, the ground shook on Iz. Windows rattled, and villagers tried not to think about anyone getting killed.

In fact, Iz did get hit on one occasion. A Serb warship was shelling Zadar from its harbor when a gunner on an island near Iz shot at the ship. The Serb ship turned and fired in all directions, with one shell hitting an unpopulated area of Iz.

In the past four years, fighting in the Balkans has involved four of the six republics that until 1991 made up Yugoslavia. Nationalist rivalries, however, go back much farther. Here's some history:

Croatia becomes a Slavic kingdom in 924 and is joined with Hungary in 1102.

Croatian nobility in 1526 elects the Austrian ruler Ferdinand of Hapsburg as the king of Croatia, putting Croatia under the Austro-Hungarian crown until the end of World War I.

Throughout the 19th century, neighboring Serbia fights for independence from Turkey, which had ruled the Serbs since the 14th century. Serbia becomes an independent kingdom in 1882.

All remaining Turkish influence over the Balkans is eliminated during wars in 1912 and 1913, when Serbia and neighboring Montenegro grow in area and power.

World War I begins in 1914 when Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo by a Bosnian nationalist.

With the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Croatia declares its independence and two months later joins the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which also includes Bosnia-Hercegovina, Macedonia, and Montenegro. The kingdom is renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. However, the popular Croatian Peasant Party and the Slovenian People's Party object to Serb domination of the federation.

In 1932, rightwing nationalists in Croatia form the Ustasa movement, which takes its lead from Hitler and Mussolini.

When World War II begins in 1939, Yugoslavia proclaims neutrality but is coerced into joining the Axis in 1941. After the Yugoslav government falls in a coup by anti-Axis factions, Germany attacks the Yugoslav capital of Belgrade on April 6. Yugoslavia surrenders 11 days later, and Serbs charge Croats with treachery.

Germany and Italy annex Slovenia, the Dalmatian Coast, and Montenegro, setting up puppet governments in Croatia and Serbia. The Ustasas take control of Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina and endeavor to exterminate all Serbs in Croatia. An estimated 600,000 Serbs are murdered. Serbian nationalists called Chetniks attempt to sabotage the Nazi-supported Croatian government and prompt more murders of Serbs.

During the summer of 1941, the Partisan guerilla movement is organized by Communist Josip Broz (Marshal Tito), who welcomes Yugoslavs from all ethnic groups to join.

Oct. 20, 1944, Belgrade is liberated by Partisans and the Soviet Army. Tito becomes head of state for next 35 years. By suppressing nationalism in Croatia and Serbia and driving religion underground, Tito holds ethnic rivalries in check. He also breaks with Stalin-style communism, and Yugoslavia's large cities are westernized. Serbs, Croats, and Muslims intermarry and move across republic borders.

Tito dies in 1980, and a collective presidency is established, with presidents of the republics of Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia rotating as head of state. Republics become freer to express their differing cultures and religions, but animosities lingering from World War II resurface. In 1990, the communists end one-party rule.

The republics of Croatia and Slovenia declare their independence on June 25, 1991. Almost immediately, fighting erupts between Croatia's government and its Serb minority, which receives military aid from Serbia. Overmatched by the Serb-dominated Yugoslav People's Army, Croatia loses nearly 30 percent of its land area.

Macedonia and Bosnia-Hercegovina each declare independence. Serbia and Montenegro unite as the new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

In 1992, Serb rebels begin a three-year shelling of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Hercegovina, and over time seize 70 percent of the country.

With the Serb-run government of Yugoslavia arming Serb rebels in neighboring Bosnia and Croatia, the UN expels Yugoslavia. Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic claims to end his support for the rebels. Western governments are skeptical but remain reluctant to arm Bosnia.

On Tuesday of this week, one of the remaining "safe havens" in Bosnia, the enclave of Srebrenica, falls to the rebel Serbs, who now threaten to take the entire country.