U.S. military officials on Monday raised the de@th toll of American service members to six as a result of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran over the weekend.
The U.S. Central Command increased the toll from four to six on Monday evening in a post on X.
“U.S. forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran’s initial attacks in the region,” the post read.
“Major combat operations continue. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.”
The announcement did not clearly state the specific locations where the newly reported deaths took place. Iran, however, responded to U.S. airstrikes by firing missiles and launching drones at multiple U.S. military bases and other sites across the Gulf on Saturday.
Iranian attacks have been documented in several countries, including Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan, as part of this widening regional conflict.
In Kuwait, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles crashed Monday from apparent friendly fire, CENTCOM announced. Kuwait’s air defenses “mistakenly shot down” the Air Force fighter jets amid incoming attacks by Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones.
“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”
Kuwait’s defense minister, Col. Saud Al-Atwan, said all crew members survived and were transported to hospitals in stable condition to assess their condition and provide medical care if needed.
Israel and the U.S. military began attacking Iran on Saturday, killing several senior Iranian officials, including the country’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.