A Kuwaiti F/A-18 fighter jet mistakenly shot down three US F-15s that were taking part in military operations against Iran, sources familiar with the respective investigation results said, reports The Wall Street Journal.

According to the interlocutors, the Kuwaiti F/A-18 fighter’s pilot mistakenly identified the allies as targets and fired three missiles at them. All six crew members successfully ejected, were evacuated, and are now in stable condition.

Several Iranian drones had previously bypassed Kuwaiti air defense systems. One drone attacked a temporary operations center at a civilian port, killing six US servicemembers. According to the sources, the Kuwaiti forces were on high alert, and when radars detected the approach of the aircraft, they were fired upon.

A spokesperson for the US Central Command (CENTCOM) declined to comment, but the command had previously confirmed the loss of three F-15E Strike Eagle fighters to "friendly fire." CENTCOM said the incident occurred during active combat operations, which included attacks by Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones, and thanked the Kuwaiti defense forces for their assistance in the operation.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense also confirmed the incident and said they were synchronized with the US during the investigation.