A burning aircraft falls from the sky in Al Jahra, Kuwait, in this still image obtained from social media video released on March 2, 2026. PHOTO: Social Media/REUTERS DAY
Kuwait’s air defences mistakenly shot down three US F-15 fighter jets during active combat on Monday, US Central Command said, describing it as an apparent friendly-fire incident during the conflict with Iran.
All six crew members ejected safely, were recovered and are in stable condition, CENTCOM said.
“During active combat — that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” CENTCOM said.
It added that Kuwait had acknowledged the incident and that an investigation was underway.
Video images showed a US warplane falling from the sky over Kuwait early on Monday, with a person seen parachuting. Reuters verified the location as the Al Jahra area of Kuwait.
In a separate incident, smoke was seen rising from the vicinity of the US Embassy compound in Kuwait City, and fire trucks and ambulances were present, a witness told Reuters.
There was no immediate response to requests for comment on the embassy incident from the US Embassy in Kuwait or the US State Department.
Kuwait intercepted hostile drones earlier on Monday, the third consecutive day of Iranian retaliatory strikes on neighbouring Gulf states in response to US and Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s state media earlier cited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying Iranian armed forces hit a US plane that crashed in Kuwait.
Read More: Three US service members dead, US CENTCOM confirms amid ongoing attacks on Iran
Online video verified by Reuters from the Al Jahra area showed a military aircraft falling from the sky and a person parachuting in the same frame.
Falling debris injures workers
Two workers were slightly injured by falling debris at Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, Kuwait National Petroleum Company said on X.
The US Embassy in Kuwait warned US citizens of a continuing threat of missile and drone attacks and urged them not to come to the embassy. It advised citizens to shelter in place, remain on the lowest floor of their residence away from windows and avoid going outside.
No injuries were reported after Kuwait air defences intercepted most of the drones near the Rumaithiya and Salwa neighbourhoods, the state news agency cited the civil defence director-general as saying.
A series of loud blasts was heard on Monday morning in Dubai and in the Qatari capital of Doha, according to Reuters witnesses. Loud bangs and sirens were also heard earlier in Kuwait.
Tehran has said it would target US bases in the region after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday.
Iran has also hit a range of civilian and commercial areas across Gulf cities, widening the conflict’s impact on key regional aviation and trade hubs.
