Three US fighters shot down

In an incident similar to the 2024 event, when a US ship mistakenly fired on a F/A-18 from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea, Kuwaiti air defences accidentally shot down F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets late Sunday evening. All six crew members ejected safely, according to US Central Command.
The US 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.
According to the White House, “During active combat—that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences,” the CENTCOM statement said.
“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defence forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”
“Relevant authorities immediately initiated search-and-rescue operations,” Kuwait’s defence ministry spokesperson Col. Said Al-Atwan said in the statement.
“The crews were evacuating from the crash sites and transferred to the hospital to assess their condition and provided necessary medical care,” the source said.