Several American warplanes crashed in Kuwait on Monday, though all crew members survived, as Iran pressed on with a third day of retaliatory strikes targeting US interests and allies in the Gulf region.
Kuwait’s defence ministry confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday morning. “Several US warplanes crashed this morning. Confirming that all crew members survived,” a ministry spokesman said, adding that the cause of the crash is under investigation.
According to the statement, authorities immediately launched search and rescue operations. The crews were evacuated and transported to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment, where their condition is reported to be stable.
The incident occurred amid a significant escalation in the region. An AFP correspondent near the US embassy in Kuwait reported seeing black smoke rising from the area, though it was not immediately clear if the embassy was directly hit. The embassy did not announce an attack but issued a security alert urging people to stay away, citing a “continuing threat of missile and UAV (drone) attacks over Kuwait.” The alert added that all embassy personnel are sheltering in place.
Iranian strikes, launched in response to the killing of its supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes, have targeted a US base and a power station in Kuwait. Iran’s army claimed it fired 15 cruise missiles at the Ali Al Salem air base, which hosts US troops, as well as vessels in the Indian Ocean.
The bombardment has also impacted civilian infrastructure across the Gulf. Kuwait’s energy ministry reported that a fuel container at a power station in the north was hit by shrapnel during interceptions, causing a limited blaze. The Kuwait National Petroleum Company confirmed that shrapnel fell at the Mina Al Ahmadi refinery, one of the country’s largest, injuring two workers, though production was not disrupted.
Air raid sirens sounded over Kuwait City, warning of incoming strikes. The interior ministry reported that an unspecified number of drones were intercepted at dawn.
The escalating violence has rattled residents in a region often seen as a refuge from Middle Eastern conflict. Dana Abbas, an engineer and Kuwait City resident, said she was worried and had rushed to fill her car with petrol and stock up on basic necessities.
Authorities across the Gulf states have confirmed casualties from the ongoing attacks. According to officials, the Iranian strikes have so far killed five people in the region, including one person in Kuwait. In the UAE on Sunday, fallen debris hit the facade of the Etihad Towers, which houses several diplomatic embassies, lightly injuring a woman and a child.
The small, oil-rich nation of Kuwait hosts a large US military presence, a legacy of the 1990 Iraqi invasion, which was repelled by a US-led coalition. Monday’s events mark one of the most dramatic escalations in the country since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and Baghdad’s attempt to take over Kuwait in 1990.
