US says Kuwait mistakenly shot down 3 US planes during Iranian attacks; All crew members were safely removed

CAIRO (AP) — Three American fighter planes were mistakenly shot down by friendly Kuwaiti fire on Monday during an Iranian air attack, the U.S. military said.

The US said all six crew members safely exited the F-15E Strike Eagles and were in stable condition after being recovered.

Read more: The military says 3 American soldiers were killed and 5 others were seriously injured during Iranian attacks

There was an attack by Iranian aircraft, missiles and drones at the time the planes were shot down.

Iranian state television claimed that Iran targeted one of the American planes that crashed in Kuwait, without going into details.

Witness Ahmed Al-Assar, who rushed to the scene with about a dozen others while a parachute pilot was on the ground, said that explosions could be heard when one of the planes fell from the sky and caught fire.

Al-Assar initially thought he was an Iranian pilot, but realized he was American before rescuers whisked him away.

US Central Command said that Kuwait said its air defenses mistakenly shot down the planes as part of its support for the US combat operation in Iran.

The army said, “Kuwait air defenses mistakenly shot down US Air Force fighters.” He added, “Kuwait recognized this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti Defense Forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”

The United States said the cause of the accident was under investigation.