United States Central Command said three US F-15E “Strike Eagles” were downed in separate friendly-fire incidents involving Kuwait’s air defence systems, which mistakenly identified the aircraft as hostile.
At the same time, Iran claimed responsibility for shooting down the jets, as its conflict with US-backed Israel entered a third day.
Media reports indicated that the pilots managed to eject safely. Kuwait’s Defence Ministry also confirmed that several US military aircraft had crashed.
In a statement, the command said the incident occurred at 11:03pm ET on March 1, when the F-15E aircraft, operating in support of a military mission, went down over Kuwait during what appeared to be a friendly-fire event.
The aircraft were mistakenly engaged by Kuwaiti air defences amid intense combat conditions that included attacks by Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones, the statement added.
All six crew members ejected safely, were recovered and are in stable condition. US officials thanked Kuwaiti forces for their assistance and coordination during the operation.
An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway, and further details will be released as they become available.
