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Three US fighter jets involved in Operation Epic Fury shot down in 'friendly fire' incident
US military forces have confirmed that three fighter jets crashed over Kuwait this morning in an incident of ‘friendly fire’.
The three jets were involved in Operation Epic Fury during which US and Israeli forces attacked Iran.
WW3 fears escalate as US and Israel launch Operation Epic Fury
The world was plunged into uncertain waters over the weekend as forces from the USA and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran claiming to have targeted strategic and nuclear sites.
The UN has responded angrily to both the initial action and the Iranian response, and Trump and his Iranian counterparts have also traded angry barbs.
Ayatollah Khamenei was also killed in a strike in Iran, prompting further anger and fears of another global world war.
This morning, US military confirmed that three fighter jets had been shot down over Kuwait in an incident of so-called ‘friendly fire’.
'Friendly fire' sees US jets shot down by Kuwait
Friendly fire is a military term for accidental action taken against an ally who is mistaken for an enemy combatant.
In this case, Kuwaiti defence forces clearly thought that the US F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft were enemy threats, and therefore downed them.
The US military Central Command issued a statement that said: “Three US F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident.”
CENTCOM added that during ‘active combatthat included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses.’
The statement then confirmed that all service personnel were able to eject themselves from the aircraft safely and are now in a stable condition after being safely recovered.
The statement concluded: “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 incident will be subject to an investigation.
The violence continues today
The fighting has not stopped, and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has confirmed an ‘additional broad strike’ has begun against Iran, targeting what it calls ‘Iranian terror regime targets’.
The UN has called for both sides to cease strikes, as Secretary General António Guterres said; “We are witnessing a grave threat to international peace and security,
“Let me be clear: There is no viable alternative to the peace settlement of international disputes.”