An intense moment unfolded when an American pilot, who had ejected from an F-15 fighter jet downed over Kuwait, encountered a local armed with a pipe.
Social media video captures a group of men confronting the pilot, with one aggressively waving a metal pipe and shouting.
The pilot, visibly alarmed, repeatedly urges them to “Back up. Stop!” as they close in, possibly mistaking him for an Iranian.
The standoff de-escalates when the pilot clarifies his American identity, prompting the group to withdraw and leave him unharmed.
This incident occurred when one of three U.S. jets was accidentally shot down over the region on Monday.
Earlier footage showed the $90 million aircraft spiraling uncontrollably before crashing to the ground.
US CENTCOM said all six crew members ejected safely and have been recovered, evacuated and transferred to hospitals for health checks.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense said it was coordinating with the US regarding the ‘circumstances of the incident’ and would investigate.
Footage on social media shows a group of men approaching the pilot and shouting, while one of them brandishes a metal pipe
The pilot is heard repeating ‘back up. Stop!’ as the men move closer and closer, appearing to think the airman is Iranian.
The plane was seen in a tailspin falling out of the sky near a US base in Kuwait
A spokesman for Kuwait’s defiance ministry said: ‘Several US warplanes crashed this morning. Confirming that all crew members survived.
‘Authorities immediately initiated search and rescue operations, evacuating the crews and transporting them to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. Their condition is stable.’
The viral video follows another, more friendly interaction between another ejected pilot and locals in Kuwait.
Footage on social media showed an unnamed female pilot beaming ear-to-ear despite being shot out of the sky moments before in a friendly fire mishap.
‘You need something to help you?’, the man recording could be heard asking the pilot as he approached her.
‘No problem, you are safe, you are safe. Everything good? Thank you for helping us,’ the man continued.
Footage also showed the third pilot walking on the ground after they too successfully ejected.
The Pentagon said on Monday that the death toll among American service members had risen to four.
Just a day earlier, the administration confirmed that three US troops had been killed in fighting with Iranian forces.
The rising death toll came after Donald Trump told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview over the phone on Sunday that fighting with Iran could last for the next four weeks.
The unknown female pilot beamed ear-to-ear despite being shot out of the sky moments before in a friendly fire mishap
Footage showed the pilot walking on the ground after successfully ejecting
One of the pilots was transported to safety in the boot of a car after ejecting from the spiraling plane
‘It’s always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so. It’s always been about a four-week process so – as strong as it is, it’s a big country, it’ll take four weeks – or less,’ the President said.
At a press conference on Monday, Trump said that the US had ‘the capability to go far longer’ than the projected time frame.
The region was plunged into chaos over the weekend after the US and Israel pounded Iran with missiles, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
Tehran and its allies hit back against Israel, neighboring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world’s production of oil and natural gas.
The intensity of the attacks and the lack of any apparent exit plan set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences.
On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia was attacked with drones as Americans in more than a dozen countries across the Middle East were urged to evacuated.
It comes as the US State Department appealed for Americans to leave 15 countries across the Middle East because of safety risks.
Overnight bombing took place inside the Lebanese capital Beirut after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) warned citizens to evacuate from buildings linked to Hezbollah militants.
A hospital in Tehran was also hit by air strikes overnight. Pictures show smashed glass and debris in the hallway of the Motahari Hospital.
The hospital was evacuated on Monday following nearby explosions, the World Health Organisation said.
At least 555 people have been killed in Iran so far, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said, and more than 130 cities across the country came under attack.
In Israel, 11 people have been killed, with 31 people also being killed in Lebanon, according to authorities.
