Video: Signalgate. It's Worse Than You Think. || Peter Zeihan
The Atlantic magazine publishes US attack plan mistakenly shared in chat group
MAR 27, 2025
WASHINGTON – The Atlantic magazine on March 26 published what it said was the entire text of a chat group mistakenly shared with a journalist by top US national security officials laying out plans of an imminent attack on Yemen.
The stunning details, including the times of strikes and types of planes being used, were all laid out in screenshots of the chat.
The magazine said it was publishing after the Trump administration repeatedly denied that any classified information was included in the unsecure chat, which the officials had conducted on a commercial Signal messaging app, rather than using a secure government platform.
The magazine, which initially published only the broad outlines of the chat, said it was now publishing the details after the Trump administration repeatedly denied that any classified information had been included.
The scandal has rocked President Donald Trump’s administration, which for now is reacting defiantly – attacking The Atlantic and denying any wrongdoing.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly responded to say The Atlantic was conceding “these were not ‘war plans’. The entire story was another hoax”.
National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said on March 24 the chain cited by The Atlantic appeared to be “authentic”.
The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sent information in the Signal chat – also including Vice-President J.D. Vance and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director John Ratcliffe – right ahead of strikes against the Houthi rebels on March 15.
For reasons unknown, Mr Goldberg’s phone number was added to the group.
Mr Goldberg also revealed disparaging comments by the top US officials about European allies during their chat.
The Atlantic initially did not publish the precise details of the chat, saying it wanted to avoid revealing classified material and information that could endanger American troops.
But on March 25, Mr Ratcliffe and other officials involved in the chat played down the scandal, testifying before Congress that nothing critical was shared or laws broken – and that nothing discussed was classified.
The Atlantic said on March 26 that it asked the government whether in that case there would be any problem in publishing the rest of the material.
Ms Leavitt responded, The Atlantic said, telling the magazine again that “there was no classified information transmitted in the group chat”.
And a CIA spokesperson asked only that one of the agency’s officials referenced in the chain not be identified by name.
The Atlantic said its publication on March 26 included everything in the Signal chain other than that one CIA name.
It includes Mr Hegseth laying out the weather conditions, times of attacks and types of aircraft being used.
The texting was done barely half an hour before the first US warplanes took off and two hours before the first target, described as “Target Terrorist”, was expected to be bombed.
The details are shockingly precise for the kind of operation that the public usually only learns about later – and in vaguer terms.
Mr Hegseth’s text started with the title “Team Update” and included these details, according to The Atlantic:
A short time later, Mr Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing “Building collapsed. Had multiple positive ID” and “amazing job”.
The Houthi rebels, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the “axis of resistance” of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the US.
The Trump administration has stepped up attacks on the group in response to constant Houthi attempts to sink and disrupt shipping through the strategic Red Sea.
The text is potentially sensitive because The Atlantic said it was sent more than 30 minutes before the strikes actually occurred.
If the Houthis or a foreign US adversary had been aware of the texts, they could have prepared air defences and jeopardised the lives of the US fighter pilots launching the strikes.
“In the DNI’s own guidance, this type of information should be classified top secret,” former State Department spokesman and CIA official Ned Price wrote on X, referring to the director of national intelligence.
The former Biden administration official included a link to a government document that calls for the classification of “information providing indication or advance warning that the US or its allies are preparing an attack”.
The magazine said it was publishing after the Trump administration repeatedly denied that any classified information was included in the unsecure chat, which the officials had conducted on a commercial Signal messaging app, rather than using a secure government platform.
The magazine, which initially published only the broad outlines of the chat, said it was now publishing the details after the Trump administration repeatedly denied that any classified information had been included.
The scandal has rocked President Donald Trump’s administration, which for now is reacting defiantly – attacking The Atlantic and denying any wrongdoing.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly responded to say The Atlantic was conceding “these were not ‘war plans’. The entire story was another hoax”.
National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said on March 24 the chain cited by The Atlantic appeared to be “authentic”.
The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sent information in the Signal chat – also including Vice-President J.D. Vance and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director John Ratcliffe – right ahead of strikes against the Houthi rebels on March 15.
For reasons unknown, Mr Goldberg’s phone number was added to the group.
Mr Goldberg also revealed disparaging comments by the top US officials about European allies during their chat.
The Atlantic initially did not publish the precise details of the chat, saying it wanted to avoid revealing classified material and information that could endanger American troops.
But on March 25, Mr Ratcliffe and other officials involved in the chat played down the scandal, testifying before Congress that nothing critical was shared or laws broken – and that nothing discussed was classified.
The Atlantic said on March 26 that it asked the government whether in that case there would be any problem in publishing the rest of the material.
Ms Leavitt responded, The Atlantic said, telling the magazine again that “there was no classified information transmitted in the group chat”.
And a CIA spokesperson asked only that one of the agency’s officials referenced in the chain not be identified by name.
‘More F-18s LAUNCH’
The Atlantic said its publication on March 26 included everything in the Signal chain other than that one CIA name.
It includes Mr Hegseth laying out the weather conditions, times of attacks and types of aircraft being used.
The texting was done barely half an hour before the first US warplanes took off and two hours before the first target, described as “Target Terrorist”, was expected to be bombed.
The details are shockingly precise for the kind of operation that the public usually only learns about later – and in vaguer terms.
Mr Hegseth’s text started with the title “Team Update” and included these details, according to The Atlantic:
“TIME NOW (1144et): Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch”
“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.”
A short time later, Mr Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing “Building collapsed. Had multiple positive ID” and “amazing job”.
The Houthi rebels, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the “axis of resistance” of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the US.
The Trump administration has stepped up attacks on the group in response to constant Houthi attempts to sink and disrupt shipping through the strategic Red Sea.
The text is potentially sensitive because The Atlantic said it was sent more than 30 minutes before the strikes actually occurred.
If the Houthis or a foreign US adversary had been aware of the texts, they could have prepared air defences and jeopardised the lives of the US fighter pilots launching the strikes.
“In the DNI’s own guidance, this type of information should be classified top secret,” former State Department spokesman and CIA official Ned Price wrote on X, referring to the director of national intelligence.
The former Biden administration official included a link to a government document that calls for the classification of “information providing indication or advance warning that the US or its allies are preparing an attack”.
No comments:
Post a Comment