Six American soldiers were killed in an Iranian strike against a military facility in Kuwait on Sunday, the US has confirmed.
US Central Command originally said three soldiers died in the incident but officials confirmed on Monday that the death toll had doubled, after one person succumbed to their injuries and two more bodies were found in the rubble.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed a US bunker in Kuwait was hit after a missile was launched during Iran’s original retaliation evaded air defences.
The six deaths are the only fatalities confirmed by the US military since it launched a new war against Iran with Israel.
Hegseth said a “powerful weapon” struck a “tactical operations centre that was fortified”, without providing further details about the site’s location.
Three US military officials with direct knowledge of Iran’s attack told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that the service members were in a makeshift office space in Kuwait.
They questioned whether the building had been adequately fortified, telling CBS News a trailer was being used as an office, with 12ft (3.7m) steel-reinforced concrete barriers to shield it.
The US has a long-standing defence relationship with Kuwait, and more than 13,000 American soldiers are stationed in the Gulf nation.
Iran has responded to attacks against it by launching missiles at Gulf countries allied with the US. Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar have all also seen strikes.
Separately in Kuwait, the US confirmed three fighter jets were downed after what it described as an incident of “friendly fire” on Monday.
Footage showed the jets spiralling to the ground. The pilots involved all managed to eject and survived the incident.
Iran state media claimed the Iranian military had shot down the jets, without providing evidence.
By BBC News
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