KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s air defence systems mistakenly shot down three US F-15 fighter jets during active combat operations on Monday, according to the United States Central Command (Centcom), in what officials described as an apparent friendly-fire incident amid escalating regional tensions involving Iran.
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Centcom said all six crew members aboard the aircraft safely ejected and were successfully recovered. Officials confirmed that the personnel are in stable condition.
“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 defences,” the command said in a statement, adding that Kuwaiti authorities had acknowledged the incident and an investigation was underway.
Video footage circulating online and verified by Reuters showed a military aircraft falling from the sky over Kuwait’s Al Jahra area, with at least one crew member seen parachuting to safety.
In a separate development, smoke was observed rising near the US Embassy compound in Kuwait City, where emergency vehicles were deployed. Neither the US Embassy nor the US State Department immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the incident.
Kuwaiti officials said air defence units had earlier intercepted hostile drones, marking the third consecutive day of Iranian retaliatory strikes targeting Gulf states following US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Iranian state media, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed Iranian forces had struck a US aircraft that later crashed in Kuwait.
Meanwhile, falling debris from the downed aircraft slightly injured two workers at the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, according to Kuwait’s National Petroleum Company.
The US Embassy issued a security alert warning American citizens of an ongoing threat from missile and drone attacks, advising residents to shelter in place, remain on lower floors away from windows and avoid travel to embassy facilities.
Witnesses also reported loud explosions and sirens in several Gulf cities, including Dubai and Doha, underscoring fears that the conflict is expanding across critical regional aviation and energy hubs.
Tehran has vowed to target US military installations across the region after Washington and Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets, raising concerns of a wider confrontation affecting security and trade throughout the Gulf.
