Top US government officials shared what it claimed were “attack plans” against Yemen’s Houthi rebels in a group discussion that unintentionally included the media outlet’s editor-in-chief.
The administration of US President Donald Trump sought to underplay the significance of the texts shared on the Signal messaging app, according to The Atlantic, which led to the release on Wednesday.
The most significant messages that have just been released appear to have been sent on March 15 from a source that appears to be Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense.
They include the dates of the strikes, the types of aircraft used, and early indications of the Houthis’ effectiveness. According to Houthi officials, the attacks claimed the lives of numerous children and women.
The Hegseth account posted:
- “1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)”
- “1345: “Trigger Based” F-18 First Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is@his Known Location, SHOULD BE ON TIME; see also “Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)”).
- “1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”
- “1415: Strike Drones on Target (THE FIRST BOMBS WILL FINALLY DROP, pending earlier “Trigger Based” targets)”
- The first sea-based Tomahawks to be launched is the 1536 F-18 2nd Strike Start.
- “MORE TO FOLLOW (PER TIMES)”
- “We are currently operational security clean on OPSEC”
- Godspeed, our warriors.
According to The Atlantic, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz later sent a text with real-time information about conditions at a place believed to be in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
“VP. The structure fell. had a number of positive identification. Hegseth, General Michael E. Kurilla, the commander of Central Command, and the intelligence community, or IC, is reportedly a reference to the message, which read, “Pete, Kurilla, the IC, amazing job.”
What?, which appeared to be a query from US Vice President JD Vance, was written in an account that the Waltz account responded with “Typing too quickly. We had positive ID for the first target, the top missile guy from their girlfriend’s building, which has since collapsed.
Massive breach
Two days after The Atlantic published an article from editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg detailing his involvement in a group discussion involving high-level government officials discussing military actions against the Houthis, the transcript of the texts was released.
The chat’s events were briefly described in the report on Monday. If an adversary of the United States had read the information contained there, it might have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel, Goldberg wrote.
The article almost immediately went viral as a result of its publication. Questions were raised about whether the text messages would be preserved, as required by federal records laws, and why sensitive information was discussed on a non-government platform.
However, US officials repeatedly denied that any classified information had been included in the chat on Tuesday, as they tried to throw the scandal out of the water.
At a meeting of US ambassadors, Trump claimed, “No classified information, as I understand it.” We’ve looked into it pretty much. To be honest, it’s fairly straightforward. It’s simply a possibility, not a fact.
The Atlantic criticized its most recent report, saying that no classified material was sent to the thread. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also criticized the paper on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, she wrote on X that “this entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin.”
Democrats have since called on Hegseth and other senior Trump administration officials to step down in response to the leaked conversation.
Senator Mark Kelly wrote on social media that the Signal incident was the result of having the most unqualified Secretary of Defense we’ve ever seen. We’re fortunate that no servicemembers lost their lives, but Secretary Hegseth needs to step down for the safety of our military and our nation.
According to Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost, it is “clear that this was a massive breach of our national security” according to the most recent report from The Atlantic.
Waltz and Hegseth must be fired immediately, according to he wrote on X. “Had this very specific plan gotten in the wrong hands, Americans would be dead right now,” he wrote.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed the Trump administration’s position in the face of the growing outcry on Wednesday.
The National Security Council immediately informed the White House Council that they were looking into how a reporter’s number was accidentally included in this messaging threat, according to Leavitt.
“We have made it clear from the beginning that no classified material was posted in this messaging thread.” No sources, methods, or locations were disclosed, and no war plans were discussed.
She added that Goldberg was “an anti-Trump hater” according to the White House.
Waltz admitted to “building the group” on Signal in an interview with Fox the night before, adding that he took “full responsibility.”
