Iran Claims US F-15 ‘Strike Eagle’ Fighter Jet Shot Down in Kuwait; Pilot Seen Ejecting (WATCH)

A US F-15 fighter jet was reportedly shot down in the skies above Kuwait early Monday morning, Iran's state media IRNA reported, citing local sources. However, there has been no immediate official confirmation from US or Kuwaiti authorities regarding the claim.

Iran-US-Israel conflict entered a third day, dragging the West Asia region and the world into a second major military conflict after Russia's war on Ukraine.

Visuals shared online showed an F-15 spiralling downwards in slow motion, with flames visible from its rear. It was not immediately clear if the plane belonged to the US or Israel, since the latter also operates the fighter jet.

Multiple media reports said and videos showed that the pilot ejected safely.

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in the US-Israel strike, calling his death “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country”. Trump called Khamenei “one of the most evil men in history” and asserted that the cleric “was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems”. 

He further warned that “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue “uninterrupted”, signaling a potentially prolonged and aggressive military campaign.

The scale and intensity of each side's attacks have escalated over the past 72 hours, prompting widespread disruption to civilian populations in all affected countries.

Meanwhile, senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi will serve as Iran’s interim Supreme Leader following the killing of Ali Khamenei in US-Israel strikes, the state-linked ISNA news agency reported. Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been appointed as the jurist member of the interim leadership council responsible for carrying out the Supreme Leader’s duties during the transition period until a successor is chosen under Iran’s constitutional process.