3 F-15s shot down by Kuwait in friendly fire incident, pilots safe, US says

Three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down Sunday by Kuwaiti air defenses “due to an apparent friendly fire incident,” U.S. Central Command announced .

The U.S. Air Force crews were flying in support of the ongoing campaign against Iran , dubbed Operation Epic Fury , when they were shot down, officials said.

“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered and are in stable condition,” a CENTCOM release stated. “Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”

The incident is under investigation, the release added.

Iran has escalated its retaliatory strikes over the last 24 hours, targeting multinational bases and civilian infrastructure across the region.

In a statement Monday , the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Iran for “unjustified strikes [that] targeted sovereign territories, endangered civilians and inflicted damage on civilian infrastructure.”

“The State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America strongly condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran’s indiscriminate and reckless attacks with missiles and drones against sovereign territories across the region,” the statement read.

The assault by U.S. and partner forces began Saturday at 1:15 a.m., with the goal of knocking out “the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that posed an imminent threat,” CENTCOM officials stated.

Among the primary targets of the operation were Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields, according to the statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that nine Iranian naval ships have been sunk as part of combat operations.

The compound of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was also targeted during the early stages of the operation. Khamenei was killed when the compound was hit, Trump later confirmed in a Truth Social post, calling the moment “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”

Three U.S. service members have been killed in action during combat operations, CENTCOM officials announced Sunday. Five more have been listed as “seriously wounded.”

At least 555 people in Iran have been killed by U.S.-Israeli strikes, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said Monday , while more than 130 cities across the country have been hit during the attacks.

J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.

美国中央司令部宣布，周日，三架美国F-15E“攻击鹰”战斗机被科威特防空部队击落，“显然是一起友军误伤事件”。

官员称，美国空军机组人员当时正在执行代号为“史诗狂怒行动”的对伊朗军事行动，随后被击落。

美国中央司令部发布声明称：“六名机组人员全部安全弹射，已安全获救，目前情况稳定。科威特方面已承认此次事件，我们感谢科威特国防军的努力以及他们在本次行动中提供的支持。”

新闻稿补充说，该事件正在调查中。

过去24小时内，伊朗加大了报复性打击力度，目标是该地区的多国基地和民用基础设施。

科威特外交部周一发表声明，批评伊朗“发动无端袭击，袭击目标为主权领土，危及平民安全，并破坏民用基础设施”。

声明称：“科威特国、沙特阿拉伯王国、巴林王国、卡塔尔国、约旦哈希姆王国、阿拉伯联合酋长国和美利坚合众国强烈谴责伊朗伊斯兰共和国使用导弹和无人机对该地区各国主权领土进行不分青红皂白、肆意妄为的袭击。”

美国及其盟友部队于周六凌晨 1 点 15 分开始发动进攻，目标是摧毁“伊朗政权的安全机构，优先攻击构成迫在眉睫威胁的地点”，中央司令部官员表示。

声明称，此次行动的主要目标包括伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队指挥控制设施、伊朗防空能力、导弹和无人机发射场以及军用机场。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周日宣布，作为作战行动的一部分，已有九艘伊朗海军舰艇被击沉。

在行动初期，伊朗最高领袖阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊的住所也成为袭击目标。哈梅内伊在住所被击中身亡，特朗普后来在Truth Social网站上发帖证实了这一消息，并称这是“伊朗人民夺回自己国家的最大机会”。

美国中央司令部官员周日宣布，三名美军士兵在战斗行动中阵亡，另有五人被列为“重伤”。

伊朗红新月会周一表示，美国和以色列的空袭已造成伊朗至少 555 人死亡，全国 130 多个城市在袭击中遭到袭击。

JD Simkins 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的总编辑，也是参加过伊拉克战争的海军陆战队老兵。