New Delhi: The United States military said Monday that Kuwait “mistakenly shot down” three American F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft during combat in its operation against Iran. It said all six crew of the three downed aircraft ejected safely, have been safely recovered and are in stable condition.Meanwhile, Oman said one Indian crew member of a boat was reported killed in a drone attack. The Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker was in the Gulf of Oman.Search operations are also on for missing crew members of MV Skylight, the Palau-flagged, US-sanctioned oil tanker hit on Sunday off Oman’s coast. Initial information indicated injuries to four of the twenty-person crew – 15 Indian and five Iranian citizens.The Indian embassy in Oman issued a statement on the stike on MV Skylight late in the afternoon on March 2:Mission remains in constant touch with Omani authorities who are carrying out search operations for missing crew members following the incident involving MV Skylight. We are also coordinating with officials in Oman for the repatriation of the crew members who have been rescued…— India in Oman (Embassy of India, Muscat) (@Indemb_Muscat) March 2, 2026These strikes come amid continuing joint US-Israel strikes against targets across Iran since Saturday, February 28, and retaliatory strikes in neighbouring countries by Iran. Associated Press earlier quoted Iranian leaders to say that more than 200 people have been killed since the start of the attacks. The Iranian Red Crescent Society has cited almost thrice the figure, as per latest reports.The strikes have destroyed Iran’s ballistic missile sites and wiped out warships, with one of the attacks leading to the death of the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Iran and Iranian-backed militias have fired missiles at Israel and Arab states, apparently hitting the US Embassy compound in Kuwait, Associated Press reports.As the bombardment continues, the US-Israel strikes now threaten to widen the conflagration beyond Iran. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has claimed strikes on Israel, which fired back, and Gulf states warned that they could retaliate against Iran after strikes that hit key sites and killed at least five civilians. Meanwhile, European powers offered to help US forces in their effort to stop Iran from attacking other countries.Israel has claimed Iranian strikes hit Jerusalem and a synagogue in Beit Shemesh, where nine people were killed and 28 wounded, bringing the overall death toll in the country to 11.Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, has posted on X today, “While our brave people mourn the cowardly assassination of #Iran’s great leader and the massacre of 165 innocent children killed by American and Israeli missiles in the city of #Minab in southern Iran, #Israel and the #UnitedStates continue to indiscriminately strike residential areas, sparing neither hospitals, schools, Red Crescent facilities, nor cultural monuments. These actions constitute the deliberate commission of the most heinous crimes of international concern. Indifference to this ongoing and extreme injustice will only further darken the future of humanity by jeopardizing the shared values upon which our global community stands.”Iran’s Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency has alleged the US-Israel airstrikes targeted the Natanz enrichment facility in his country, contradicting an earlier United Nations statement by its nuclear watchdog of no nuclear facilities being hit in Iran. An extraordinary Board of Governors’ meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began in Vienna on Monday, reiterating it had “no indication that any of the nuclear installations…or other nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been damaged or hit” in Iran.Indians’ situationOn March 2, following supportive calls with the UAE and Israel and at a joint press conference with Canadian PM Mark Carney, PM Narendra Modi said, “India supports resolution of all conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy” and “We will keep working with countries in West Asia to ensure safety of Indians there.”He said, “India’s stance has always been clear on tensions across the world. India has consistently advocated for peace and stability, and when two democracies stand together, the call for peace becomes stronger,” possibly meaning India and Canada.Reports have noted that at least 350 Indian airlines flights were cancelled on March 1 alone. Air India has suspended 20 additional long-haul services to European destinations, including London, Zurich, Milan, Frankfurt and Copenhagen.More than five lakh Indian students, most of whom are schoolchildren, in seven West Asian countries have had their board exams under the India-based CBSE and CISCE paused with no idea of how they will resume or when, The Telegraph has reported.‘Monitor social media activities’The Hindu has reported that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cautioned states against “possible violence” and “sporadic protests” in India.In a communication sent to Chief Secretaries and Director(s) General of Police on February 28, the MHA asked states to keep a watch on protests and demonstrations by “affiliates of both pro- and anti-Iranian regime” at the embassies and consulate offices of Iran, the US, and Israel, an official told the paper.The government also asked states to identify “pro-Iran radical preachers giving inflammatory sermons and provoking violent actions.”The states have been asked to monitor the social media activities of “pro-Iran extremists and the global terrorist groups (GTG) handles”, and enhance the watch on “pro-Iran student organisations and socio-political organisations.”‘US intel didn’t suggest pre-emptive strike’Trump administration officials told congressional staff in private briefings Sunday that US intelligence did not suggest Iran was preparing to launch a preemptive strike against the US, three people familiar with the briefings told AP, the agency reported.The administration officials instead acknowledged there was “a more general threat in the region from Iran’s missiles and proxy forces,” two of the people said. The third person, however, said the administration said that “Iran’s missiles and proxy forces posed an imminent threat to US personnel and allies in the region.”The officials did not provide any clarity about what would happen next in Iran after the joint US-Israeli operation, the two people said.Trump vows vengeance for US deaths in war he beganThree US service members have died in the strikes kickstarted by the US along with Israel. The three who were killed were Army soldiers deployed to Kuwait as part of a supplies and logistics unit, AP has reported.US President Donald Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy’s headquarters had been “largely destroyed.”Trump, who a day earlier had encouraged Iranians to “take over” their government, signalled Sunday that he was open to dialogue with Iran’s new leadership.“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he told The Atlantic.Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani denied today claims that Tehran had sought to restart negotiations with Washington, declaring that Iran will not engage in talks with the US.War expandsIn the Gulf, Iran’s retaliatory strikes pushed the conflict into cities that have long marketed themselves as regional safe havens. Three were reported killed in the United Arab Emirates and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.In the United Arab Emirates, authorities said most Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted. But some either got through or fell as debris, causing the deaths and significant damage. Bahrain and Kuwait said Iranian strikes in both countries hit civilian targets outside the US bases where Iran had pledged to retaliate.The Iraqi Shiite militia Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed a drone attack Monday targeting US troops at the airport in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, further widening the retaliation over the killing of Khamenei.The group is one of a number of Shiite militias operating in Iraq.In Lebanon, Israel launched strikes on Beirut, after Hezbollah fired missiles across the border early Monday.It was the first time in more than a year that the Lebanese militant group has claimed a strike against Israel. The Israeli military said Hezbollah had “joined the campaign” alongside Iran.Hezbollah said in a statement that its strikes were carried out in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei and for “repeated Israeli aggressions.”IranIran has borne the brunt of the US-Israel strikes. In southern Iran, at least 165 people were killed Saturday when a girls’ school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, the IRNA reported. The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area. The US military said it was looking into the reports.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a prerecorded message that a new leadership council had begun its work. The country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said a new supreme leader would be chosen in “one or two days.”Note: This is an ongoing conflagration, so this report is being updated through the day. (With AP inputs)