Kuwait’s air defenses mistakenly downed three U.S. F-15E fighter jets Monday during an Iranian attack, the U.S. Military confirmed, as a widening conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel entered its third day with casualties and destruction reported across at least nine countries.
All six crew members aboard the downed aircraft were safely recovered, officials said. Video footage circulating on social media showed one of the jets spiraling downwards, trailing flames, before impacting the ground in a fiery explosion. The incident occurred as Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones targeting Israel and multiple Arab states, including Kuwait and Bahrain.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) reported more than 550 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign, with over 130 cities reportedly under attack. Israeli officials stated Monday’s strikes focused on command and control centers and senior leaders within the Iranian regime.
U.S. President Donald Trump described the operation as a four-week military endeavor, telling CNN, “The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.” He reiterated calls for Iranians to overthrow their government.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized that the U.S. Goal was not regime change, stating the operation was not a “democracy-building exercise” and “What we have is not Iraq. This is not endless.” He outlined the U.S. Objectives as the destruction of Iran’s navy, its ballistic missile production capabilities, and its potential to develop nuclear weapons.
The U.S. Military reported that B-2 stealth bombers struck Iranian ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. Trump claimed 10 Iranian warships had been sunk and the Iranian navy’s headquarters “largely destroyed.”
Iranian attacks extended across a 1,200-mile swathe of the region, targeting oil infrastructure and other sites. A bomb-carrying drone boat exploded against an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, and strikes were reported in Cyprus, targeting a British military base. Saudi Arabia shut down its largest refinery following drone strikes that caused a fire, and similar attacks were reported in Dubai and Doha.
In the first strike to reach U.S. Allies in Europe, a drone hit Britain’s Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus overnight. Both Britain and Cyprus reported limited damage and no casualties.
Within Iran, residents reported the heaviest bombardment of the capital, Tehran, to date, with missiles striking across the city. One resident stated, “We are becoming like Gaza,” while another, Hosna, a 45-year-old lawyer, described a mixture of fear and excitement with each explosion.
Iran’s elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, announced Sunday that a leadership council comprised of himself, the judiciary head, and a member of the powerful guardian council had temporarily assumed the duties of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Ali Larijani, head of Tehran’s supreme national security council, stated Iran would not negotiate with Trump, whom he characterized as having “delusional ambitions” and expressing concern over U.S. Casualties. “Iran, unlike the United States, has prepared itself for a long war,” he posted on X.
Hezbollah launched missiles towards central Israel, prompting Israeli retaliatory strikes into Lebanon. An Israeli military spokesperson stated Hezbollah had made “a big mistake” by “joining Iran’s war.” Eleven people have been killed in Israel, and 52 in Lebanon, according to authorities.
Shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil trade, have been halted following threats from Iran and attacks against tankers. Oil prices surged sharply Monday, and stock markets declined. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed to have hit three U.S. And UK oil tankers in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, as well as military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The UN nuclear watchdog reported no indication that Israeli and U.S. Attacks had damaged any Iranian nuclear facilities, despite earlier claims by Iran’s envoy.
A senior White House official stated that Washington would at some point engage in talks with Tehran, but not at this time, adding that “Operation Epic Fury continues unabated.”
