National security team’s Signal chat leaks Yemen strike plans: Why is Pete Hegseth under fire? |
Imagine this. You wake up on a regular Tuesday morning. Check your phone for any important messages, and see a connection request on Signal from someone called the ‘Waltz’. You are among the thousands of others, who have installed the open-source encrypted messaging service for more privacy. You assume ‘Waltz’ is a top member of the President’s cabinet, someone whom you have met before. Unsure, whether it’s another prank from impersonators or if it’s indeed the person you assumed, either way, you accept the connection. You almost forget about it, and go on with your life. Two days later, another notification pop up, and now you are included in the ‘Houthi PC small group’. You are shocked to read about the upcoming military strikes being discussed by top national security leaders. Unable to wrap your head around it, you pinch yourself. No, it is not a dream, because what you have on your phone screen is the precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing of the military strike. Two hours later the bomb explodes, as mentioned in the chat.
No this is not a passage from Alfred Hitchcock or Carol Reed’s script. Even these legendary filmmakers wouldn’t have worked on such a script. Because who would believe it? After all, suspension of disbelief is the cornerstone of any good script.
What are the odds of top cabinet officials of America discussing war on a messaging app, and an ordinary citizen ‘accidentally’ being added to that group? Nearly none. Well, if only Hitchcock and Reed had lived until Mar. 15, 2025, they would have believed it, and perhaps, convinced the moviegoers that it could actually happen.
This is exactly what happened, according to Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
In an article published on Mar. 24, 2025, 12:06 PM ET, the journalist reveals that he was ‘accidentally’ added to the group chat, in which top officials shared highly classified information about US military strikes on Yemen.
Top US officials including national security adviser Mike Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio among others were on the thread.
“The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen. I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing,” the journalist wrote.
How did Pete Hegeth react to the claims?
File photo of US defence secretary Pete Hegseth (Pic credit: AP)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire, after the leaked Signal chats about war plans. The top House Democrats on military, intelligence, foreign affairs, and government affairs oversight committees have demanded an explanation for the leak. There is political uproar on why the senior Trump administration officials discussed highly sensitive national security conversations outside of approved classified government systems. Many US lawmakers have expressed their shock and disbelief in the breach.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth
Amidst the ongoing controversy, Pete Hegseth, on Monday claimed that “nobody was texting war plans,” while talking to reporters in Hawaii. Though the Defence Secretary tried to avoid questions regarding the chat breach, he said, “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.” Hegseth also claimed the journalist is “a deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again.” He also said that Goldberg was not a serious journalist and claimed that he ‘peddles garbage’.
