US military officials said three fighter jets crashed in Kuwait after being hit by friendly fire from Kuwaiti air defenses, the first downing of US aircraft since the US-Israeli war against Iran began over the weekend.
All six of the crew from the three F-15 jets ejected and parachuted to the ground before being located by rescuers, US Central Command said in a statement on March 2.
The incident occurred around 8 a.m. local time as the jets were engaged in "active combat that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones."
In an earlier statement, Kuwait's Defense Ministry also reported the crash of several jets and said crew members were being recovered and transported to hospitals. The Kuwaiti statement made no mention of friendly fire as the cause of the incident.
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Military Aircraft Falls From The Sky Over Kuwait Amid Iranian Strikes
Videos published on social media showed at least one jet falling from the sky and a person parachuting above the Kuwaiti town of Al Jahra.
Now in its third day, the joint US and Israeli assault on Iran -- dubbed Operation Epic Fury by Washington -- has seen at least four fatalities of US military personnel reported so far. US news reports said three of the killed soldiers were part of a "sustainment unit" that had deployed to Kuwait.
At least six other US military personnel were also reported injured in the same incident.
Iran has responded the air assault by barraging US military facilities and cities around the Persian Gulf with drones and missiles.
A fourth American was reported dead on March 2 after being seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, officials said. It was unclear if that person was injured in Kuwait or elsewhere.
The headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, in Manama, Bahrain, was hit by Iranian missiles on February 28.