The Atlantic releases Hegseth's detailed Signal texts on Yemen strike
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The news: The Atlantic has published more excerpts from the Trump administration’s Signal group chat showing US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth texted precise times for military strikes in Yemen, including F-18, drone and Tomahawk missile launches, hours before the operation began.
The chat, set up by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, had inadvertently included Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
Hegseth’s messages included exact launch times of the airstrikes in Yemen took on Saturday, 15 March.
Hegseth's text started with the title "TEAM UPDATE," adding “TIME NOW (1144et): Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch,” according to The Atlantic.
He then proceeded to give the precise times for two waves of US attacks against the Houthis, and details of what weapons systems would be used.
According to The Atlantic, the messages included:
“1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)”
“1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)”
“1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”
“1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)”
“1536 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.
Waltz later confirmed a Houthi target had been killed.
The context: The release followed testimony at the Senate Intelligence Committee from Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who said no classified material was shared.
“These additional Signal chat messages confirm there were no classified materials or war plans shared. The Secretary was merely updating the group on a plan that was underway & had already been briefed through official channels,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on X.
The Atlantic said it had initially withheld details about weapons and timing to avoid jeopardising US personnel, but the assertions of administration officials “led us to believe that people should see the texts in order to reach their own conclusions”.
Former officials and national security experts said such timing and targeting information is typically highly classified and should not appear on a commercially available, nonsecure messaging platform.
What they said: Waltz said Elon Musk was investigating how Goldberg was accidentally added to the group chat. Democrats, including Senators Mark Warner and Chuck Schumer, called the disclosures a security breach and demanded resignations.
Senator Roger Wicker, Republican and chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he supported the Democrats’ request for an expedited inspector general report on the Signal chat incident and would also seek a secure briefing for his committee.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime defence hawk and Trump ally, acknowledged the chat “detail[ed] very sensitive information about a planned and ongoing military operation” and said it would fall into the category of “lessons learned.”
While Graham continued to support all members of Trump’s national security team, he called the chat a mistake.
In a social media post, Hegseth said no names, targets, units, routes or classified information was shared in the Signal chatroom.
“This only proves one thing: Jeff Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an “attack plan” (as he now calls it). Not even close,” he said.
“As I type this, my team and I are traveling the INDOPACOM region, meeting w/ Commanders (the guys who make REAL “war plans”) and talking to troops. We will continue to do our job, while the media does what it does best: peddle hoaxes.”
The sources: The Atlantic, Reuters, The New York Times
