Three US fighter jets mistakenly shot down over Kuwait

Three US fighter jets were mistakenly shot down over Kuwait early Monday in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, military officials said. All six crew members ejected safely.

According to a statement from US Central Command (Centcom), Kuwait’s air defences fired on the F-15 war planes during a combat mission on the third day of conflict following Saturday’s launch of US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran.

The crew members who ejected were recovered and are in “stable condition”, Centcom said.

“During active combat – that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones – the US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” the statement said.

Kuwait has acknowledged the incident and launched an investigation, it added.

According to the Centcom post on X, the incident took place at 11.03pm ET Sunday and involved three F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft.

Video showed one of the jets falling out of the sky over Kuwait, while a person could be seen parachuting. The location was verified by Reuters as filmed in the Al Jahra area of Kuwait.

Another clip purports to show one of the pilots, a man in a flight suit clutching what appears to be breathing equipment, in the back of a vehicle. The post said the person was “being taken care of by a group of Kuwaitis”.

Iran’s state media, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Iranian armed forces claimed responsibility for hitting a US plane that crashed in Kuwait, Reuters reported.

The incident highlights the chaos around the conflict that began on Saturday when Donald Trump, without seeking the approval of Congress, ordered the US military to attack Iran in an air campaign the White House dubbed Operation Epic Fury.

The Turkish transport ministry said Monday it had suspended all flights from the country to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran responded to the assault by indiscriminately launching missiles at a slew of countries in the Middle East, some of which have landed on civilian areas, including hotels and residential areas. It has also targeted military bases in the region used by the US and its allies, including a drone attack on RAF Akrotiri, a British airbase in Cyprus.

On Sunday, Centcom confirmed three US service members were killed and five others wounded in the conflict so far. On Monday, officials raised the death toll to four.

Kuwait released a statement on Monday condemning what it said were “indiscriminate and reckless attacks with missiles and drones against sovereign territories across the region”.

The statement, issued before news of the loss of the US jets emerged, added: “Iran’s actions represent a dangerous escalation that violates the sovereignty of multiple states and threatens regional stability.

“Targeting civilians and non-combatant states is reckless behavior that undermines stability.”

In a separate incident reported Monday by Reuters, smoke was seen rising from the vicinity of the US Embassy compound in Kuwait City, with fire trucks and ambulances in the area, a witness told the news agency.

According to a profile of the downed class of fighter jet posted by Barron’s, the F-15 is a twin-engine, so-called fourth-generation fighter jet built by McDonnell Douglas, introduced in the 1970s, and designed to help establish air supremacy during a military conflict.

Its “E” designation refers to a dual-role fighter, a jet that can handle air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, Barron’s said.

Reuters contributed to this report