WASHINGTON — The Atlantic on Wednesday published a new article detailing purported information about recent American strikes in Yemen it says was accidentally shared with a journalist via Signal by senior members of President Donald Trump’s National Security Council.
The follow-up article in The Atlantic disputes the administration’s claims that no classified information was shared on the group, to which editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added. Officials within the administration are “attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared,” the article said.
The article suggested that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth updated members of the “Houthi PC small group” Signal chat on “favorable” weather conditions ahead of planned airstrikes on Houthi leaders and other targets in Yemen.
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The article said Hegseth also notified the group of a planned timeline for flights of F-18 strike aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones and Tomahawk cruise missiles that were launched for the mission.
“THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets,” Hegseth wrote ahead of the operation, referencing the time stamp of “1415,” or 2:15, according to The Atlantic.
The White House has insisted the communications in the group chat were not war plans and criticized The Atlantic journalist who detailed the account.
“This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X Wednesday.
National security adviser Mike Waltz said Wednesday morning that the chat didn’t include war plans or specific details about the strikes.
“No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS. Foreign partners had already been notified that strikes were imminent. BOTTOM LINE: President Trump is protecting America and our interests,” Waltz posted on X.
On Tuesday, Trump claimed there “was no classified information as I understand it.”
“It’s very clear Goldberg oversold what he had,” Vice President JD Vance posted to X Wednesday morning.
ABC News contributor Mick Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official and CIA officer, said the information shared on the commercial app appeared to detail an ongoing operation that shouldn’t be shared publicly.
In Mulroy’s opinion, “It is highly classified and protected. Disclosure would compromise the operation and put lives at risk. Next to nuclear and covert operations this information is the most protected.”
The initial story in The Atlantic only described the operational part of the message chain, but did not divulge specifics.
According to the article, Hegseth later messaged the group with after-action updates, notifying members that specific Houthi leaders had been located and identified immediately before strikes on their locations.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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