Three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were shot down “mistakenly” by Kuwait.
The three jets were shot down Sunday, according to U.S. Central Command (Centcom).
Centcom said in a statement the fighter jets were downed in Kuwait shortly after 11 p.m. EST Sunday, adding the jets “were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses.”
The six service members on board the jets “ejected safely,” Centcom stated; they are “in stable condition.”
“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the statement said.
In a statement, Kuwait’s army said “several U.S. military aircraft crashed.”
A spokesperson said “relevant authorities immediately initiated search and rescue procedures, whereby the crews were evacuated and transferred to the hospital to check on their health status and provide the necessary medical care.”
The spokesperson also said “direct coordination was conducted with the friendly U.S. forces regarding the circumstances of the incident, and joint technical measures were taken,” adding that “authorities are following up on the investigations to determine the causes of the incident.”
Kuwait’s strike comes a day after U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
Shortly after the strikes, Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel and Gulf states, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Joint U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
President Donald Trump announced the death Saturday afternoon.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump said on Truth Social.
