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The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 2 confirmed that three F-15E Strike Eagles taking part in the ongoing attack against Iran were shot down over Kuwait in an apparent friendly fire incident.
In a statement, the command said that the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses during active combat that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones.
“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,” the command added, noting that the cause of the incident is under investigation.
The F-15E is a twin-engine, two-seat, all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the F-15 Eagle, developed for long-range precision ground attacks while retaining strong air-to-air capability, with a top speed over Mach 2.5 and a large weapons payload. A single fighter jet of this type costs upwards of $90 million.
The fighter jets were shot down close to Ali Al Salem Air Base, which hosts U.S. forces. These were the first three confirmed American losses since the war with Iran.
While CENTCOM said that all three F-15Es were shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, Iran’s Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters announced earlier that one such fighter jet was shot down by Iranian air defense close to the border between Kuwait and Iraq.
Kuwait has been one of the regional focal points of the ongoing war. Ali Al Salem took heavy losses as a result of U.S. and Israeli strikes over the last two days.
Three American troops were killed at the air base a day earlier, and in a new update CENTCOM said that a fourth service member, who was seriously wounded in one of the Iranian attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries.
Despite the intensity of recent Iranian attacks, the American-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic is still ongoing with full force.
Strikes were reported all over Iran over the past day. The capital, Tehran, was hardly hit on March 2, and overnight B-1 Lancer heavy bombers took off from the U.S. and attacked the Islamic Republic.
A US official confirmed to the Axios news site that the bombers struck “above-ground ballistic missile and command and control sites in Iran.”
Videos released by CENTCOM and the IAF over the past show multiple targets getting hit, including ballistic missile launchers, drones, air defenses, and even a Soviet-made Su-22 fighter bomber.
Iranian Red Crescent Society reporting 555 fatalities since the start of the war. The number includes 180 students killed at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in the southern city of Minab by American-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war.
The war appears to be getting more intense by the hour. A ceasefire seems highly unlikely, and fighting could go on for weeks. Both sides are guaranteed to take more losses.
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2 f-15e ( 2 pilots crew) were shot down by verba manpads missile in the border, another one f-15c ( one pilot) was shot down by mig 29m during first day of operations.
the us is running away from the uae. be prepared for more of this.