Several American warplanes crashed in Kuwait on Monday morning but their crew survived, Kuwait’s defence ministry said, as Iran pressed on with a third day of strikes in the Gulf.
“Several US warplanes crashed this morning. Confirming that all crew members survived,” a defence ministry spokesman said in a statement, adding that the cause was under investigation.
“Authorities immediately initiated search and rescue operations, evacuating the crews and transporting them to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. He noted that their condition is stable,” the statement added.
Black smoke rose from the US embassy in Kuwait on Monday, an AFP correspondent saw, while US warplanes crashed without causing casualties, as Iran pressed on with a third day of retaliation in the Gulf.
A US base and a power station were also targeted, in what was the most dramatic escalation for the small Gulf country in decades, after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and Baghdad’s attempt to take over Kuwait in 1990.
Blasts also rang out over the Gulf cities of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and Manama as Iran targets America’s Gulf allies after the killing of its supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.
The embassy in Kuwait did not announce it had been hit, but issued a security alert urging people to stay away.
“There is a continuing threat of missile and UAV (drone) attacks over Kuwait. Do not come to the embassy,” the statement said, adding: “US embassy personnel are sheltering in place.”
The Iranian attacks have so far killed five people in the Gulf, according to authorities, including one person in Kuwait.
The small, oil-rich country has a large US military presence stemming from the 1990 Iraqi invasion, which was repelled by a US-led coalition aiding the Kuwaiti army.