Washington, D.C.: Senior national security officials from the Trump administration, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, allegedly disclosed military strike plans against the Houthis in a Signal messaging app group chat that, unbeknownst to them, included The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, according to a report published by the magazine on Monday.
The US National Security Council acknowledged that the text exchange “appears to be authentic”.
Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg stated that the messages contained “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the UK would be deploying, and attack sequencing.”
While it remains unclear whether the specifics of the military operation were classified, such information is typically restricted to ensure the safety of personnel and maintain operational security.
The UK has been conducting airstrikes against the Houthis since November 2023, following the militant group’s attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea. On 15 March, just two hours after Goldberg received details of the planned strikes, the UK launched a series of airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
The National Security Council announced an investigation into how a journalist’s number was included in the Signal group chat. While government officials frequently use Signal for communication, the app is not classified and remains vulnerable to potential security breaches despite its end-to-end encryption.
Also Read | Israeli Forces Mistakenly Strike Red Cross Office in Gaza
The leak emerged amid a broader crackdown by Hegseth’s office on unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information. Measures under consideration include the use of polygraph tests on defense personnel to identify sources of leaks to the media.
Also Read | Former Sri Lankan Military Leaders Sanctioned by UK for War Crimes
Sean Parnell, a spokesman for Hegseth, did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the defense secretary’s decision to share war operational plans on an unclassified platform.
