Three US fighter jets ‘mistakenly’ shot down over Kuwait

CENTCOM says three fighter jets ‘mistakenly shot down’. Kuwait investigating cause of incident.Published On 2 Mar 2026Three United States fighter jets were “mistakenly” shot down over Kuwait, the US military has said, amid Washington’s joint offensive with the Israeli military against Iran.Videos that emerged on Monday showed a US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet spinning and spiralling downwards with its tail on fire and smoke trailing behind it. Another video showed two pilots ejecting. They were later seen alive on the ground being helped by locals.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination will likely backfire. Here is whylist 2 of 3Iran death toll reaches 555 as US, Israel escalate attackslist 3 of 3Lebanon bans Hezbollah’s military activities after rocket attack on Israelend of listUS Central Command (CENTCOM), a US combat command whose area of responsibility includes the Middle East, said three US F-15E Strike Eagles had “mistakenly been shot down” by Kuwaiti air defences “during active combat”.“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 defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” a CENTCOM statement published on X said.“The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” it added.The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence confirmed that several US aircraft had crashed and authorities were investigating the cause of the incident.A spokesperson said all pilots survived, were taken to hospital and were in stable condition. The ministry said it was coordinating with US forces.Loud bangs and sirens were also heard in Kuwait early on Monday with a witness quoted by the Reuters news agency saying smoke was seen rising from near the US embassy in Kuwait City. Videos showed rescue crews working at the scene.