High-ranking U.S. national security officials inadvertently leaked details of imminent military attacks against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen to a journalist.

According to an article published by The Atlantic on Monday, it was revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, among other top U.S. officials, mistakenly added The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to the Signal group where they discussed the attack plans for Yemen. The shared messages reportedly included “operational details of the impending attacks, targets, weapons the U.S. would use, and the sequence of the strikes.” Just two hours after Goldberg received information about the attack, the U.S. launched a series of air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Goldberg broke the story with the headline “Trump Administration Accidentally Messages Me War Plans.” This Signal group, which includes CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, discussed the justifications for the Yemen attack, its political implications, and how to communicate it to the public. “RISK OF PUBLIC MISUNDERSTANDING”

Vice President J.D. Vance emphasized that the main purpose of the military operation against the Houthis was to send a strong message, stating, “3% of U.S. trade and 40% of European trade pass through the Suez Canal. There is a risk of the public not understanding the Houthi issue. Our main reason is to send a strong message.” “IT WILL BE TOUGH TO EXPLAIN”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed how difficult it would be to explain the operation to the public, saying, “I think it will be tough to explain the issue to the public. We should move beyond this rhetoric: Biden failed, Iran funded. There are other dangers at present. Firstly, the operation could leak, and we may appear indecisive. Secondly, Israel could act before us or the Gaza ceasefire could end.” “ENOUGH WITH SAVING EUROPEANS”

Vance supported the operation, saying, “If you say let’s do it, then let’s. I am tired of just saving these Europeans.” Hegseth also criticized Europe, stating, “I’m also tired, Europe’s situation is shameful. But there is no one else in the world who can do this other than us. They are not even close.” “THERE SHOULD BE A RETURN FOR THIS”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller drew attention to the economic dimension of the operation, saying, “The President is clear about this. He gave the green light. But we need to determine what we want in return from Egypt and Europe. Of course, how we will enforce this is also crucial. What if Europe doesn’t cooperate? If the U.S. pays a high price to ensure freedom of navigation again, there should be an economic return for it.” Hegseth agreed with this comment. “WE’RE OFF TO A GOOD START”

Following the airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, there were messages exchanged among Trump’s cabinet officials celebrating the successful start of the operation. CIA Director John Ratcliffe expressed his satisfaction with the initial stages of the operation, saying, “We’re off to a good start.” The incident of war plans being accidentally sent to a journalist occurred during a period when the Pentagon had implemented strict measures to prevent leaks of classified information. The Defense Secretary Hegseth’s office had recently announced a new set of measures to prevent the leakage of sensitive information, including the possibility of administering lie detector tests to defense personnel to identify officials leaking information to journalists.NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: “INVESTIGATING”

The National Security Council stated that they are investigating how a journalist’s phone number was added to the Signal group chat. While state officials may use the Signal app for organizational communication, this platform could be vulnerable as it is unclassified. While the White House did not disclose whether the leaked messages were classified, they emphasized the importance of safeguarding information pertaining to military operations for security reasons.TRUMP: “I DON’T KNOW”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump stated that he “knew nothing” about high-ranking officials accidentally sending war plans to a journalist.