Just 48 hours after the start of a U.S.-Iran conflict, the country of Kuwait claims to have “accidentally” shot down three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, CNN reports.
The U.S. military, under the leadership of Secretary of Defense -or “War” Pete Hegseth, released a statement saying three U.S. fighter jets crashed in Kuwait on March 2 after an “apparent friendly fire incident.” While all six crew members of the jets ejected safely, the jets were flying in support of the military’s “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran.
The action is under investigation after Kuwait’s Defense
Ministry announced that “several” U.S. fighter jets crashed, but failed to specify how many or the cause, as fighter jets carry a hefty price tag of tens of millions of dollars each. “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 defenses,” a statement read.Images of the jet coming down spanned across social media, including one of a pilot parachuting to the ground.
The crashes in Kuwait come just days after a new conflict emerged in the Middle East as part of an expanding war against Iran between the U.S. and Israel. Both countries launched strikes
against Iran amid tension between Washington and Tehran.According to The Hill, shortly after, Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel and Gulf states such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Americans woke up to news of the conflict on Feb. 28, with President Donald Trump confirming that the strikes resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social app.
“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.”Celebrations started pouring in from major cities like Los Angeles and from countries around the world, including praise from Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi. In a statement, Pahlavi said, “The bloodthirsty despot of our time…has been erased from the face of history. This may be the beginning of our great national celebration, but it is not the end of the road,” he said
.More than 1,000 targets have been struck as the military is focusing on military targets such as command and control centers, Iranian Navy ships, and submarines, in addition to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters.
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