US Air Force F-15E
“Apparent friendly fire incident” during combat with Iran. The six crew members ejected and are safe and sound.
Three US fighter planes that crashed in Kuwait were shot down by the Kuwaiti armywhen Iran was attacking the region, said the United States military command for the Middle East (Centcom) this Monday.
“In the course of an intense confrontation, which included attacks by Iranian planes, ballistic missiles and drones”, the fighters “were shot down by deception for the air defense of Kuwait”, declared Centcom in a statement, stating that the six crew members ejected and are safe and sound.
Two US Air Force crew members are alive after their F-15E Strike Eagle went down over Kuwait in what some initial reports are claiming was a “friendly fire” incident.
Both airmen ejected safely and can be seen with locals before being transferred to Kuwaiti authorities for…
— Military Support (@MilitaryCooI)
“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident and we are grateful for the efforts of its defense forces and support within the ongoing operation” against Iran, he added.
Centcom indicated that the three F-15Es crashed while participating in support flights for operation “Epic Fury”, attributing what happened to “an apparent friendly fire incident”.
A few hours earlier, Kuwaiti authorities had confirmed that several US military planes had crashed in their territory, without providing information about the causes, said a statement posted on social media.
Kuwaiti Defense Ministry spokesman Saud al-Atuan said that “several US military planes crashed this morning”, adding that “all crew members are safe”. Al-Atuan added that authorities launched search and rescue operations to locate the soldiers, who were “transported to a hospital”, where they are in stable condition.
“There was direct coordination with US forces regarding the circumstances of the incident and joint technical measures were adopted”, he highlighted.
“Stay at home”
For its part, the United States Embassy in Kuwait warned, on the Internet, of “the continued threat of missile and drone attacks” in the country and asked the population not to go to the building, amid information spread on social media according to which the facilities had been hit, although there is, for now, official confirmation.
“The United States Embassy in Kuwait urges citizens to remain in their residencesreview security plans in case of attack and remain vigilant in the face of possible new attacks. The United States Embassy staff are sheltering in place”, he stressed, calling for these people to “go to the lowest floor possible and not approach the windows” or “go out into the street”.
The Iranian army confirmed, in the early hours of the day, a new wave of missile attacks against the US air base of Ali al-Salem, in Kuwait, and against several ships in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, reported Iranian public television IRIB, without there being, for now, any further details about these events, accompanied by new waves of bombings by the United States and Israel against the country.
Israel and the United States launched a military attack against Iran on Saturday, to “eliminate imminent threats from the Iranian regime”, and Tehran responded with missiles and drones against US bases in the region and Israeli targets.
