The White House on Monday (March 24) admitted that a journalist was mistakenly included in a messaging group where top US officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussed planned military strikes in Yemen.

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On Monday, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said, “We are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.”

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Here's what happened:

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The issue came to light after The Atlantic published an article by its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. In it, he revealed that he had been unexpectedly added to a Signal group chat where confidential military operations were being discussed.

“US national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling,” Goldberg wrote, adding, “I’ve never seen a breach quite like this.”

According to Goldberg, the conversation began on Tuesday, 11 March, when he was added to a Signal group titled “Houthi PC small group.” Over the following days, the group discussed detailed plans for airstrikes targeting the Houthis in Yemen, who have been attacking Western ships in the Red Sea for over a year.

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Goldberg said that messages in the group included highly sensitive and classified information, with participants identifying themselves as senior figures in the Trump administration, including Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance.

In one message, “Michael Waltz” wrote: “Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours. My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the [Situation Room] this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening.”

Other users followed up by naming representatives for various departments, including the CIA, Treasury, and National Security Council. Pete Hegseth named Dan Caldwell to represent the Pentagon.

Despite his doubts about the group’s authenticity, Goldberg said the participants went on to share classified discussions about targets, timing, and potential consequences of the planned strikes. At one point, Vice President Vance voiced hesitation, saying he believed the administration was “making a mistake” by moving forward so quickly, though he agreed to back the majority view.

Hegseth argued against delaying the strikes, saying that any hold-up could risk leaks and make the administration appear “indecisive.” He wrote, “We are prepared to execute, and if I had final go or no go vote, I believe we should. This [is] not about the Houthis. I see it as two things: 1) Restoring Freedom of Navigation, a core national interest; and 2) Reestablish deterrence, which [former President Joe Biden] cratered.”

On Friday, 15 March, at 11:44 AM ET, Goldberg received a “team update” from Hegseth that reportedly contained operational details about the airstrikes — including targets, weapons, and timing. Just two hours later, explosions were heard in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

(With inputs from agencies)