CENTCOM says three fighter jets ‘mistakenly shot down’. Kuwait investigating cause of incident.
Published On 2 Mar 2026
Three 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.
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US 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.
Kuwaiti authorities said drones had approached the capital. Air defences intercepted a majority of them near the Rumaithiya and Salwa neighbourhoods, the state-run Kuwait News Agency reported, quoting the director general of civil defence.
Iran has hit a range of civilian and commercial areas across Gulf cities, widening the conflict’s impact on key regional aviation and economic hubs. Tehran said it would target US military assets in the region after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran continued for a third day.
The top US general said from the Pentagon that it would take time for the US to achieve its military objectives.
“This is not a single overnight operation. The military objectives that CENTCOM and the joint force have been tasked with will take some time to achieve and in some cases will be difficult and gritty work,” US General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. He added that the US continued to send additional troops to the Middle East, even after a massive military build-up.
He made the comments a day after US President Donald Trump suggested the attacks on Iran could continue for four weeks.
A fourth US service member on Monday died of injuries sustained in the US operation against Iran.
During the same news conference with Caine, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said military operations against Iran would not lead to an “endless war” although he acknowledged that the operation would not be completed overnight. Hegseth said the aim was to destroy Tehran’s missiles, navy and other security infrastructure.
“This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” Hegseth said.