A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft soars through the air during an exercise within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Nov. 11, 2025. CENTCOM said Monday that three F-15s flying in support of Operation Epic Fury were shot down over Kuwait in a friendly fire incident. (Tylin Rust/U.S. Air Force)
Six U.S. airmen are safe after Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly shot down three fighter jets during combat with Iran on Sunday, U.S. Central Command said.
CENTCOM said three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles were engaging Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones at around 7 p.m. local time when they were hit by friendly fire. All six aircrew ejected safely, the command said in a statement Monday.
“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 statement read.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Kuwait continues to experience sustained attacks as the region entered day three of Operation Epic Fury. Iran over the weekend struck a base housing American troops in Kuwait that killed three U.S. Army soldiers, according to reporting from NBC and The Washington Post. The Pentagon has not provided further details about the circumstances of their deaths.
The U.S. has historically deployed troops to multiple locations in Kuwait, including Camp Arifjan, Camp Buehring and Ali Al-Salem Air Base, which was targeted by ballistic missiles on Saturday, according to Kuwait’s military.
The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait on Monday said there is a continuing threat of missile and drone attacks and warned the public not to come to the embassy. U.S. personnel there are sheltering in place and the embassy advised all U.S. citizens in Kuwait to do the same.
