White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans with journalist

Uproar over breach of US national security intelligence involving use of Signal chat

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WASHINGTON - A US journalist was inadvertently included in a group chat in which Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice-President J.D. Vance and other top American officials discussed upcoming strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels, the White House confirmed on March 24.

US President Donald Trump announced the strikes on March 15, but in a shocking security breach, The Atlantic magazine's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg wrote that he had hours of advance notice via the group chat on Signal.

"The message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain," National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.

It was an extraordinary breach of US national security intelligence, said The New York Times. Not only was the journalist inadvertently included in the group, but the conversation also took place outside the secure government channels that would normally be used for classified and highly sensitive war planning.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, told journalists: "I don't know anything about it. You're telling me about it for the first time." He added that "the attack was very effective" in any case.

The White House said the President "continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team".

Accounts that appeared to represent Mr Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Central Intelligence Agency director John Ratcliffe, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and senior National Security Council officials were assembled in the chat group, Mr Goldberg wrote.

Mr Joe Kent, Mr Trump's nominee for National Counterterrorism Centre director, was apparently on the Signal chain despite not being confirmed by the Senate yet.