A Kuwaiti fighter jet was the cause of the accidental shooting of three American F-15s that resulted in the pilot having to eject, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The fighter jet from Kuwait had fired three missiles at the US aircraft, a US official told the outlet. All three pilots of the US aircraft had to eject, but they landed safely. Video of one of the downed pilots appeared to show a Kuwaiti threatening to attack the pilot before realizing that he was an American.
When the incident took place, US Central Command said in a press release, “At 11:03 p.m. ET, March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident.
“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,” the statement continued.
“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,” CENTCOM added.
Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, there have been six US servicemembers killed and several others have been seriously injured. The operation was launched on Saturday, with strikes coming from the US military as well as the Israelis. The operation thus far has taken the lives of dozens of Iranian regime officials as well as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.
Iran has also launched retaliation strikes against US military bases stationed at nearby Arab states. As a result, several Arab state governments, such as Saudi Arabia, have joined in fighting against Iran with the US since the launch of the attack.
The fighter jet from Kuwait had fired three missiles at the US aircraft, a US official told the outlet. All three pilots of the US aircraft had to eject, but they landed safely. Video of one of the downed pilots appeared to show a Kuwaiti threatening to attack the pilot before realizing that he was an American.
When the incident took place, US Central Command said in a press release, “At 11:03 p.m. ET, March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident.
“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,” the statement continued.
“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,” CENTCOM added.
Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, there have been six US servicemembers killed and several others have been seriously injured. The operation was launched on Saturday, with strikes coming from the US military as well as the Israelis. The operation thus far has taken the lives of dozens of Iranian regime officials as well as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.
Iran has also launched retaliation strikes against US military bases stationed at nearby Arab states. As a result, several Arab state governments, such as Saudi Arabia, have joined in fighting against Iran with the US since the launch of the attack.
