NPR | Monday, March 2, 2026 
A 4th U.S. soldier has died as the war with Iran further engulfs the region

AMMAN, Jordan — The war over Iran engulfed more of the Middle East and beyond on Monday as strikes intensified, Iran-backed groups stepped up attacks and a fourth U.S. service member was killed in action. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday the fourth U.S. service member died after being wounded during Iran’s initial attacks in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes across Iran Saturday. A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that the troops who were killed were ground-based forces stationed in Kuwait. “We expect to take additional losses, and as always, we will work to minimize losses,” Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Monday. President Trump on Sunday had pledged that the U.S. would “avenge” the deaths of American troops. In a separate incident, CENTCOM said three U.S. F-15E fighter jets crashed in Kuwait “due to an apparent friendly fire incident” Sunday night. “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,” it said in a statement. CENTCOM said all six members of the crew were “ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition.” It added that Kuwait acknowledged the incident and said that “the cause of the incident is under investigation.” – Read more