A number of US military aircraft crashed in Kuwait on Monday, March 2, following Iranian strikes, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense said.
In a statement posted on X, a ministry spokesperson said that the aircraft went down in the morning but that all crew members survived.
Search and rescue teams were immediately deployed, the spokesperson said, adding that the crews were evacuated and transported to hospital for medical examinations. Their condition was described as stable.
The ministry said it had coordinated directly with “friendly American forces” regarding the incident and that joint technical measures had been taken.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the crashes. However, US Central Command has since described them as being due to “an apparent friendly fire incident,” according to the BBC.
On Feb. 28, Iran launched missiles across the region after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a wave of US and Israeli air strikes.
Several Gulf states have reported incoming projectiles or airspace violations in recent days, with governments across the region calling for de-escalation.
Also on Monday, a suspected Iranian drone struck a British military base in Cyprus.
The UK has said it will allow the US to use its bases in the region to repel Iran’s retaliatory attacks, while France has also said that it is “ready to participate” in the defense of the Gulf states.