KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait's air defences mistakenly shot down three U.S. F-15 fighter jets during active combat on Monday, U.S. Central Command said on Monday, describing it as an apparent friendly-fire incident during the conflict with Iran. All six crew members ejected from the aircraft safely, were recovered and are in stable condition, CENTCOM said. The incident is the first downing of U.S. aircraft since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began on Saturday and underscores how rapidly the conflict is widening across the Gulf. "During active combat — that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses," CENTCOM said. It said that Kuwait had acknowledged the incident and that an investigation into the cause was underway. Video images showed a U.S. warplane falling out of the sky over Kuwait early on Monday, while a person could be seen parachuting. The location was verified by Reuters as filmed in the Al Jahra area of Kuwait. Reuters/Ipsos polling over the weekend showed just one-