Three US F-15s involved in the attack on Iran were shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a case of friendly fire, the American military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement early Monday.

All six crew members on board the planes were able to eject safely and are in stable condition.

A crew member parachutes to safely after their fighter jet is shot down. via REUTERS

A fighter jet pilot lands safely on the ground after ejecting from the fighter jet that was accidentally shot down. @sentdefender/X

Smoke is seen rising from the US Embassy in Kuwait on March 2, 2026. via REUTERS

“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” Tampa, Fla.-based CENTCOM went on.

The jet crashes, captured in dramatic video footage, were reported shortly after an apparent Iranian drone barrage struck the US Embassy compound in Kuwait City — which had earlier issued a blunt warning to Americans, telling them to remain indoors, take cover, and “Do not come to the Embassy.”

Fire and smoke were seen rising from inside the compound, though there were no immediate reports of any casualties.

An Israeli F-16 fighter jet near Beit Shemesh. REUTERS

Kuwait, like many of Iran’s neighbors in the Persian Gulf, has been targeted by Tehran with missiles and drones in an apparent attempt to get the US and Israel to back off the campaign that has killed four dozen top Iranian officials — including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Over the weekend, three American soldiers deployed to Kuwait as part of a unit that oversees supplies and logistics were killed in an Iranian attack, the first casualties of what the Pentagon has dubbed Operation Epic Fury.

A rocket moves in the sky over Dubai. OBTAINED BY REUTERS via REUTERS

CENTCOM said it would withhold the identities of service members who were killed until 24 hours after their families were notified.

Other retaliatory attacks by Iran have hit US bases in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain — the last of which is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Tehran has also targeted the oil infrastructure of other nations.

Smoke seen rising from the oil refinery in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, on March 2, 2026. via REUTERS

Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery came under a drone attack on Monday, with defenses downing the incoming aircraft, a military spokesman told the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Online videos from the site appeared to show thick, black smoke rising after the attack. Even successfully intercepted drones cause debris that can spark fires and injure those on the ground.

Smoke rises after a strike in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, March 2, 2026. AP

Ras Tanura, near the city of Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia, is one of the world’s largest with a capacity of over half a million barrels of crude oil a day. It was temporarily shut down as a precaution after the attack, Saudi state television reported.

Earlier in the day, debris fell on Kuwait’s Ahmadi oil refinery, injuring two workers, after drones were shot down, the state-run KUNA news agency reported.

With Post wires