US military aircraft crash in Kuwait amid Iran retaliation; crews survive

Several US military aircraft crashed in Kuwait early Monday morning, according to Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence. While regional hostilities are intensifying, officials confirmed all crew members survived. They are currently in stable condition.

The Ministry said the relevant authorities immediately initiated search-and-rescue procedures, during which the crews were evacuated and transferred to the hospital for necessary medical care.

In a separate development, a witness told Reuters that smoke was observed billowing from the area surrounding the US Embassy compound in Kuwait City. Emergency services, including fire engines and ambulances, were spotted at the scene shortly thereafter.

Earlier that morning, Kuwaiti forces intercepted several hostile drones. This marked the third straight day of retaliatory strikes by Iran against neighbouring Gulf nations, following recent US and Israeli operations targeting the Islamic Republic.

A statement from the Kuwaiti Defence Ministry, released via the state news agency, confirmed that the downed flight crews were successfully evacuated to a hospital. The ministry noted that the rescue operation was managed in close coordination with American forces. Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for hitting a US aircraft that subsequently crashed in Kuwaiti territory.

Social media footage from Kuwait’s Al Jahra district depicted a military plane descending rapidly from the sky, with a crew member seen parachuting nearby. While the official Kuwaiti report did not clarify the exact number of aircraft involved in the incident, the impact was felt on the ground.

Kuwait's National Petroleum Company stated on X that two employees sustained minor injuries from falling debris at the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery.

Although air defences neutralised most drones near the Rumaithiya and Salwa districts, no further injuries were reported. Beyond Kuwait, Reuters noted that massive explosions and sirens were heard Monday morning in Dubai and Doha. Tehran has vowed to continue targeting US regional bases, significantly expanding the conflict's reach into major commercial, aviation, and trade hubs across the Gulf.

After a weekend of bombing that killed Iran's supreme leader, dragged its neighbours into war and shut shipping traffic in the Gulf, markets opened on Monday with energy prices rising sharply, putting the global economic recovery at risk.

In the biggest US foreign policy gamble in decades, President Donald Trump launched the campaign alongside Israel against a foe that had tormented the United States and its allies for generations.

Trump repeated his calls on Iranians to rise up and overthrow their leaders, and said the air campaign could last weeks. Within Iran, where residents have jammed highways to flee cities as bombs fell, there was uncertainty about the future and emotion ranging from apprehension to euphoria.