The US fighter jets performed a flight over Banja Luka, administrative centre of Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity, on Monday, which was assessed as a “provocation” in that part of the country.

According to RTRS, the public broadcaster in the Serb-majority region, the flight occurred at the moment of an event ahead of January 9, which the authorities in Republika Srpska mark as the Day or Republika Srpska despite a court ban.

The US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier announced that two United States Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons would conduct bilateral air-to-ground training with joint terminal attack controllers (JTAC) from the United States Army Special Forces (SOF) and Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) in the Tuzla and Brcko region on the afternoon of January 8.

According to the Flight Radar real-time aircraft flight tracking service, a Stratotanker plane was seen in Bosnia and Herzegovina around the same route – it departed from England and made circles in the sky aboveTeslic, Kotor Varos, Krupa na Vrbasu, Sanski Most, Bosanski Petrovac and Mrkonjic Grad.

The two F-16 Fighting Falcons were not seen on the Flight Radar.

RTRS reported that this was a “classic provocation ahead of the Day of Republika Srpska,” which was “confirmed” from the US Embassy and its announcement of the flights.

The US Embassy said on Monday afternoon that the US Army Special Forces and Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina completed a successful bilateral air-to-ground training with joint terminal attack controllers (JTAC) and two U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons today in the Tuzla and Brcko region.

“The training event was part of efforts by U.S. forces to exchange tactics, techniques, and procedures with the AFBiH as well as to demonstrate the United States’ commitment to ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of BiH. The United States will not stand by while the Dayton Peace Agreement and BiH’s institutions are challenged,” the embassy said.