Washington: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth texted details about a planned strike on a Houthi militant leader in Yemen just two hours before the operation, according to screenshots of a chat released by The Atlantic on Wednesday.
The disclosure that sensitive military plans were shared on a commercial messaging app—possibly on personal devices—has sparked outrage in Washington. Democrats have called for members of former President Donald Trump’s national security team to be dismissed over the leaks.
Trump’s administration is working to control the fallout from the revelation that the March 15 chat included The Atlantic‘s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg on the encrypted app Signal.
Hegseth has denied sending war plans via text, while Trump and his senior advisers insist no classified information was shared. This stance has baffled Democrats and former U.S. officials, who argue that timing and targeting details are among the most sensitive aspects of a military operation.
'Nobody's texting war plans,' US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continued to insist, denying no classified information was shared in a group chat on Signal that mistakenly included a journalist https://t.co/BKsZ22g9Ga pic.twitter.com/MsDk06k3rT
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 27, 2025
“I think that it’s by the awesome grace of God that we are not mourning dead pilots right now,” said Democrat Jim Himes of Connecticut during a House Intelligence Committee hearing.
Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the Pentagon’s oversight committee, has joined calls for an independent investigation, noting that the texts appeared so sensitive that “I would have wanted it classified.”
Had Houthi leaders been alerted to an imminent strike, they could have escaped to crowded areas, complicating targeting and increasing the risk of civilian casualties.
The chat did not appear to include names or exact locations of the targeted militants, nor did it contain information that could endanger U.S. forces conducting the operation. However, a U.S. official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, that Pentagon officials involved in planning believed the information Hegseth texted was classified at the time, raising questions about its declassification process.
The controversy has reignited scrutiny of Hegseth, who narrowly secured Senate confirmation after a contentious review questioning his qualifications, temperament, and views on women in combat.
Despite mounting criticism, the White House has downplayed the likelihood of dismissals, stating that Trump continues to support Hegseth and others implicated in the incident.
Trump has also dismissed the Yemen leak as a “witch hunt,” defending Hegseth. “Hegseth is doing a great job,” he said.
Jeffrey Goldberg, who initially declined to release the chat details, published them on Wednesday. The Atlantic did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
‘TEAM UPDATE’ Details
Hegseth’s text, labeled “TEAM UPDATE,” contained the following details, according to The Atlantic:
- TIME NOW (1144 ET): Weather is favorable. Just confirmed with CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch.
- 1215 ET: F-18s launch (1st strike package).
- 1345 ET: ‘Trigger-Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target terrorist is at his known location, so should be on time—also, strike drones launch [MQ-9s]).
- 1410 ET: More F-18s launch (2nd strike package).
- 1415 ET: Strike drones on target (first bombs will definitely drop, pending earlier ‘Trigger-Based’ targets).
- 1536 ET: F-18 2nd strike starts—also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.
- MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline).
- We are currently clean on OPSEC.
- Godspeed to our Warriors.
Hours later, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz confirmed the killing of the Houthis’ top missile expert in the group chat.
“We had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building, and it’s now collapsed,” Waltz wrote, revealing that the U.S. was conducting surveillance operations.
Reuters has not independently verified details about the building, its occupants, or how this aligns with Pentagon statements claiming no known civilian casualties.
Hegseth has refused to answer whether he declassified the information, potentially after the fact. Speaking in Hawaii on Wednesday, he downplayed the issue, telling reporters the texts contained “no locations, no routes, no flight paths, no sources, no methods.”
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Meanwhile, in Jamaica, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was also part of the chat group, admitted that adding a journalist was “a big mistake”. However, he dismissed concerns over its impact on operations.
Senior U.S. officials have designated classified systems for secure communication of sensitive materials. CIA Director John Ratcliffe testified before the Senate that Waltz created the Signal chat for unclassified coordination, with teams receiving classified information through secured channels.
Waltz took full responsibility for setting up the Signal group. However, he later played down concerns, stating on X (formerly Twitter): “No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS. Foreign partners had already been notified that strikes were imminent.”
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During a House Intelligence Committee hearing, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard affirmed that Hegseth had the authority to classify or declassify defense information.
“The Secretary of Defense ultimately holds the authority to classify or declassify,” Gabbard said.
The Pentagon has yet to disclose operational details of the Yemen strikes, including the number of airstrikes conducted, specific militant leaders targeted or killed, or even whether the mission has an official name.
