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Three U.S. fighter jets were “mistakenly shot down,” by Kuwait in an apparent friendly fire incident, according to U.S. Central Command. Video above: Israel releases footage of what it says is strike on headquarters of Iranian leadershipKuwaiti air defenses accidentally shot the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets down late Sunday evening. All six crew members ejected safely and have been safely recovered. CENTCOM says they are all in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation.”Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” a CENTCOM statement said. The statement comes after videos geolocated by CNN showed a fighter jet crashing in Kuwait and a pilot parachuting to the ground. The video appeared to show an F-15E fighter jet, according to a CNN analysis. “Relevant authorities immediately initiated search-and-rescue operations,” Kuwait’s defense ministry spokesperson Col. Said Al-Atwan said in the statement.“The crews were evacuating from the crash sites and transferred to hospital to assess their condition and provided necessary medical care,” he said. Al-Atwan said Kuwait was in “direct coordination” with U.S. authorities.One video geolocated by CNN shows a fighter jet crashing over Kuwait near a U.S. air base. The video shows a jet on fire and falling in a tailspin out of the sky, and it suggests the jet came down within 6.2 miles of the U.S. Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait.Other videos geolocated by CNN appear to show a fighter jet pilot on the ground in Kuwait after ejecting from an aircraft.In one of the videos, a man in a full flight suit and helmet can be seen kneeling on the ground next to an orange and white parachute and a parachute cord in a desert area near a fence line.CNN has geolocated the video about 18.5 miles from the Ali Al Salem base.In another video, the pilot is seen standing up as bystanders look on, with thick black smoke billowing in the distant background.The crashes come during heavy bombardment on Gulf nations as part of an expanding war with Iran. It also comes as smoke has been seen over the area surrounding the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait.It is notable when U.S. fighter jets crash overseas and often triggers an investigation.In 2024, a U.S. ship “mistakenly fired” upon a F/A-18 operating from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea. The incident was investigated, and the two Navy pilots ejected safely.The U.S. military has a significant number of military assets in the region, deployed in the weeks leading up to the joint US-Israeli military operation that kicked off early Saturday morning Eastern Time. A list put out by CENTCOM on Sunday showing the assets employed thus far included F-18s, F-16s, F-22s, F-35s, A-10 attack aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones, refueling aircraft, counter-drone systems, Navy aircraft carriers and guided-missile destroyers.More than 1,000 targets have been struck, the CENTCOM release on Sunday said, adding that the military is focusing on military targets like command and control centers, Iranian Navy ships and submarines, Islamic Revolutionary Guard corps headquarters and more.
Three U.S. fighter jets were “mistakenly shot down,” by Kuwait in an apparent friendly fire incident, according to U.S. Central Command.
Video above: Israel releases footage of what it says is strike on headquarters of Iranian leadership
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Kuwaiti air defenses accidentally shot the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets down late Sunday evening.
All six crew members ejected safely and have been safely recovered. CENTCOM says they are all in stable condition.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” a CENTCOM statement said.
The statement comes after videos geolocated by CNN showed a fighter jet crashing in Kuwait and a pilot parachuting to the ground. The video appeared to show an F-15E fighter jet, according to a CNN analysis.
“Relevant authorities immediately initiated search-and-rescue operations,” Kuwait’s defense ministry spokesperson Col. Said Al-Atwan said in the statement.
“The crews were evacuating from the crash sites and transferred to hospital to assess their condition and provided necessary medical care,” he said.
Al-Atwan said Kuwait was in “direct coordination” with U.S. authorities.
One video geolocated by CNN shows a fighter jet crashing over Kuwait near a U.S. air base. The video shows a jet on fire and falling in a tailspin out of the sky, and it suggests the jet came down within 6.2 miles of the U.S. Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait.
Other videos geolocated by CNN appear to show a fighter jet pilot on the ground in Kuwait after ejecting from an aircraft.
In one of the videos, a man in a full flight suit and helmet can be seen kneeling on the ground next to an orange and white parachute and a parachute cord in a desert area near a fence line.
CNN has geolocated the video about 18.5 miles from the Ali Al Salem base.
In another video, the pilot is seen standing up as bystanders look on, with thick black smoke billowing in the distant background.
The crashes come during heavy bombardment on Gulf nations as part of an expanding war with Iran. It also comes as smoke has been seen over the area surrounding the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait.
It is notable when U.S. fighter jets crash overseas and often triggers an investigation.
In 2024, a U.S. ship “mistakenly fired” upon a F/A-18 operating from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea. The incident was investigated, and the two Navy pilots ejected safely.
The U.S. military has a significant number of military assets in the region, deployed in the weeks leading up to the joint US-Israeli military operation that kicked off early Saturday morning Eastern Time. A list put out by CENTCOM on Sunday showing the assets employed thus far included F-18s, F-16s, F-22s, F-35s, A-10 attack aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones, refueling aircraft, counter-drone systems, Navy aircraft carriers and guided-missile destroyers.
More than 1,000 targets have been struck, the CENTCOM release on Sunday said, adding that the military is focusing on military targets like command and control centers, Iranian Navy ships and submarines, Islamic Revolutionary Guard corps headquarters and more.
