Kuwait City: Several US warplanes crashed in Kuwait on Monday morning, but all crew members survived, the defence ministry confirmed.
A ministry spokesperson said authorities immediately launched search and rescue operations, evacuated the crews, and took them to a hospital. Officials reported that their condition is stable. The cause of the crashes is under investigation.
Meanwhile, black smoke was seen rising from the US embassy, and the mission urged the public to stay away. The incident coincided with Iran continuing its third day of attacks in the Gulf, following US and Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s top military leader.
The embassy 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 attacks over Kuwait. Do not come to the embassy,” the statement said.
“US Embassy personnel are sheltering in place,” it added.
Kuwait’s interior ministry said it intercepted an unspecified number of drones targeting the small, oil-rich country at dawn.
The Iranian attacks have so far killed five people in the Gulf, according to authorities, including one person in Kuwait.
Earlier on Monday, AFP correspondents and residents heard loud explosions across the Gulf cities of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Manama and Kuwait.
Iran’s continued and unprecedented bombardment of the Gulf has hit military bases but also civilian infrastructure including residential buildings, hotels, airports and sea ports, rattling a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in the turbulent Middle East.