Category World News

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.”

Hundreds of Palestinians have gathered in northern Gaza to demand an end to Israel’s escalating onslaught. Protesters were seen carrying signs and chanting slogans as they marched down the streets of Beit Lahiya.

The wildfires that once scorched the forests above the Spanish village of Barro each summer have all but disappeared since Lucia Perez began grazing wild horses in the area.

“There used to be fires every year, but since 2019 when we started coming here, we’ve had one small fire in the first year and nothing since,” Perez, 37, said. She explained that the horses help reduce the risk of wildfires by clearing the undergrowth between trees, preventing fires from igniting and spreading.

Fire prevention is just one of the ecological benefits wild horses provide in Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain known for its delicate ecosystems.

Scientists said Europe’s largest herd of wild horses plays a key role in maintaining these landscapes although the population has dropped dramatically. In the 1970s, about 22,000 wild horses roamed the region’s mountains, forests and heathlands. Today, only half remain.

On the Serra da Groba heathland, located 80km (50 miles) southwest of Barro, wild horses feed on the yellow flowers of gorse – a highly combustible plant. “By selectively clearing [gorse], the horses help prevent wildfires,” said Laura Lagos, a researcher at the University of A Coruna.

Horse grazing allows other plants, such as purple-flowering heather and white asphodels, to flourish, Lagos explained. “It also helps preserve the heather around peat bogs, which are abundant in sphagnum mosses – one of the most effective ecosystems for capturing carbon,” she said.

A 2021 study by the University of A Coruna in which Lagos participated found that wild horse grazing was the most effective method for preventing wildfires, promoting plant biodiversity and capturing carbon. The study compared this method with other land uses, including planting long-term pine forests, short-term eucalyptus plantations and grazing by domesticated animals.

Although sheep and cattle can also help reduce wildfire risks through grazing, Lagos noted that wild horses are uniquely adapted to Galicia’s rugged terrain. She highlighted one distinctive characteristic: “moustaches that appear designed to protect their lips from the prickly gorse.”

Hotter, drier weather due to climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires in Galicia. From 2001 to 2023, fires burned through 970sq km (375sq miles) in the region, according to Global Forest Watch.

This trend has coincided with the proliferation of eucalyptus trees, brought to Galicia from Australia by a missionary in the 19th century. The trees are pyrophytes, meaning they rely on fire to release and disperse their seeds. Their spread has contributed to heightened fire risks while also reducing grazing pastures for wild horses because only ferns grow beneath them.

Galicia’s eucalyptus forests now account for 28 percent of the region’s total tree population, according to a local government study. The demand for eucalyptus wood from regional pulp mills has driven the expansion of these plantations.

The history of wild horses in Galicia dates back thousands of years. Rock carvings of horses being hunted by humans suggest their presence in the region during the Neolithic period.

Over time, humans and horses developed a symbiotic relationship. Known as “besteiros” in the Galician dialect, people traditionally monitored the health of free-roaming horses in exchange for occasionally domesticating or selling them for meat.

Once a year, the horses were rounded up during events called “rapa das bestas”, or “shearing of the beasts”. During these gatherings, the animals were deloused, vaccinated and had their manes trimmed to prevent wolves from catching them.

Today, the “rapa das bestas” has evolved into a cultural festival. The most famous event in Sabucedo draws thousands of tourists annually, who gather to watch locals wrestle wild horses to the ground for treatment.

While these traditions continue to honour the connection between Galicia and its wild horses, the growing risks of climate change, habitat loss and declining herd numbers highlight the urgent need to protect both the horses and the ecosystems they sustain.