Atlantic Publishes Full Yemen Strike Messages After White House Denials/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Atlantic has released additional Signal messages exchanged by Trump officials discussing military strikes in Yemen. The newly published messages include real-time details from top officials like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. The magazine says the release is in the public interest after the White House downplayed the original leak.
Signal Leak Fallout Quick Looks
- Atlantic shares previously undisclosed Signal messages from March 15 airstrikes.
- Defense Secretary Hegseth and CIA Director Ratcliffe appeared in the chat.
- VP JD Vance also praised the Yemen strike outcomes in the group.
- National Security Adviser Mike Waltz reportedly initiated Goldberg’s inclusion.
- White House maintains no classified information was shared.
- Karoline Leavitt dismisses story as a “hoax” by Trump critics.
- The Atlantic says full disclosure is needed to show public what was shared.
- Signal app praised for encryption but not approved for classified communications.
Atlantic Publishes Full Yemen Strike Messages After White House Denials
Deep Look
WASHINGTON (AP)— The Atlantic magazine has released additional messages from a controversial Signal group chat involving top Trump administration officials, intensifying scrutiny over how sensitive military plans were communicated and challenging the White House’s efforts to downplay the incident.
The Atlantic has released the complete transcript of a Signal group chat involving senior Trump administration national security officials, revealing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared real-time, specific details about U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels—before American warplanes had even taken off.
The chat, which included CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and—unexpectedly—Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, offers what national security analysts have called a stunning breach of operational security.
What Was Shared?
The messages include precise launch times, mission sequencing, and drone targeting details, a level of specificity typically reserved for top-classified briefings and kept within limited military channels to protect troops and mission integrity.
One of Hegseth’s messages included:
“1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)”
“1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP…)”
“1536: F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.”
“We are currently clean on OPSEC. Godspeed to our Warriors.”
Such direct communication of mission-critical timing and target data prior to execution is extremely rare outside secure, classified military networks.
The new article, co-authored by editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg and intelligence reporter Shane Harris, includes excerpts from a March 15 Signal conversation in which officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, discussed a U.S. military strike against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
“There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels,” Goldberg wrote, citing attempts by administration figures to minimize the chat’s significance.
The exchange shows real-time messaging between key national security figures as they planned and then reacted to the strikes. Hegseth shared operational details ahead of the mission, followed by Waltz confirming outcomes and other participants—including Vice President JD Vance and Ratcliffe—offering praise and congratulations.
Officials Scramble to Justify the Leak
The release comes after two days of intense congressional scrutiny in which Ratcliffe and Gabbard told senators the content shared was not classified—but both declined to say if it should have been.
When pressed during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Gabbard said only Hegseth could determine the classification level. Hegseth, currently traveling in the Indo-Pacific, has refused to answer directly, stating he didn’t share “war plans.”
The White House, meanwhile, has dismissed the incident as a minor “glitch”, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accusing Goldberg of “sensationalist spin” and calling the publication “another hoax.”
Why Goldberg Published the Full Chat
Goldberg defended the release of the full thread, citing escalating attempts by the White House to discredit the original reporting and to downplay the importance of the messages.
“There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels,” Goldberg wrote.
He added that the administration’s denials and attacks on The Atlantic left the publication with “no choice but to let the public judge for itself.”
White House Dismisses the Report
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the latest revelations as “another hoax written by a Trump-hater,” in a post on X. While she did not specify which journalist she was referring to, The Atlantic article lists Goldberg and Harris as co-authors.
“The article conceded there were no war plans or classified materials,” Leavitt added, reiterating that administration officials had complied with secure communication standards.
However, The Atlantic disputes this narrative. Goldberg says the decision to publish more of the exchange came after Defense Secretary Hegseth, National Security Adviser Waltz, and others publicly attacked his credibility and denied that any sensitive information was discussed.
What the Messages Show
According to the magazine, Goldberg was added to the group chat—named “Houthi PC small group”—on March 13, two days before the strikes. He had earlier received a Signal message that appeared to be from Waltz.
In the chat, participants discussed target selection, strike timing, and weapon deployment. Though not marked classified, the details accurately matched what the Pentagon later described as a “decisive and powerful” operation launched that same day.
Critics argue that sharing even unclassified operational information on an unsecured, encrypted platform like Signal risks exposing military planning to adversaries. While Signal is widely used in government and journalism circles for its encryption, it is not authorized for classified communications.
Political Fallout and Questions Persist
Democratic lawmakers have sharply criticized the administration over the leak, with some calling for resignations and formal investigations.
“If this information had gotten out, American lives could have been lost,” said Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The National Security Council has said it is reviewing how Goldberg’s number ended up in the chat, and FBI Director Kash Patel was asked Tuesday whether the bureau would open a probe. So far, no formal investigation has been announced.
Trump, meanwhile, downplayed the situation, calling it “the only glitch in two months” of his administration and saying “nothing important” was discussed. He also reaffirmed support for Waltz, suggesting a staffer was responsible for the error.
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