The Atlantic has published what it said were “attack plans” against Yemen’s Houthi rebels that top United States government officials shared in a group chat that inadvertently included the media outlet’s editor-in-chief.
The release on Wednesday came after the administration of US President Donald Trump sought to downplay the significance of the texts shared on the Signal messaging app, according to The Atlantic.
The most important of the newly published messages appear to have been sent on March 15 by an account seeming to belong to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
They include the times of strikes and the types of aircraft being used, as well as early reports about how effective the attacks against the Houthis were. Dozens of people, including many children and women, were killed in the attacks, according to Houthi officials.
Later, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz sent a text containing real-time intelligence about conditions at an attack site that is believed to be in Yemen’s capita, Sanaa, according to The Atlantic:
“VP. Building collapsed. Had multiple positive ID. Pete, Kurilla, the IC, amazing job,” the message read, in an apparent reference to Hegseth; General Michael E. Kurilla, the commander of Central Command; and the intelligence community, or IC.