A US F-15 operated by the United States Air Force crashed in Kuwait on Monday amid the escalting tension in the region following the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
سقوط طائرة حربية أمريكية في #الكويت .#ايران #الولايات_المتحدة #اسرائيل pic.twitter.com/douKL1wwmf
— Khaled Iskef (@khalediskef) March 2, 2026
The pilot ejected safely before the aircraft circled the sky and crashed down. Videos of the jet free falling has now spread online.
The fighter jet erupted into flames before plummeting to the ground.
Iran's state media clained that the jet was shot down by their forces along with a video showing the moment the aircraft fell.
However, the US stated that the jet was downed by Kuwait in "friendly fire".
Preliminary regional reports say that the incident took place near a US military base in Kuwait.
Photographs of the pilot being assisted by bystanders also circulated on social media.
Kuwait's Ministry of Defense stated that a number of American warplanes crashed on Monday morning. The crew were all rescued and transferred to hospitals.
Authorities are conducting a detailed inquiry into the cause of the crash, given the heightened military activity in the region amid escalation between the US and Iran.
Kuwait's defence systems have already taken down multiple Iranian military drones and missiles.
The F-15 is a twin-engine tactical fighter jet designed for the US Air Force. The aircraft is known for its speed of up to Mach 2.5, long range and heavy payload capacity.
The incident has come after the US and Israel launched a joint operation in Iran killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran's military then launched a widespread counterattack which involved targetting US military bases stationed thoughout West Asia.
