Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: A major controversy erupted in Washington after The Atlantic published what it claimed to be leaked Signal messages allegedly involving US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top officials discussing military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. The Pentagon chief, however, swiftly dismissed the claims, calling the report a “hoax” and strongly denying any breach of operational security.
The leaked chat, reportedly accessed after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to the Signal group, included a detailed timeline of F-18 launches, drone strikes, and Tomahawk missile deploymentsscheduled for March 15.
“So Let Me Get This Straight…”
Responding sharply, Hegseth questioned the very authenticity and substance of the report. “So, let me get this straight. The Atlantic released the so-called ‘war plans’, and those ‘plans’ include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Mocking the nature of the leak, he added, “Those are some really sh*** war plans.”* He went on to assert that Goldberg had no understanding of military strategy. “This only proves one thing: Jeff Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an ‘attack plan’ (as he now calls it). Not even close.”
The Alleged Chat Leak
Despite Hegseth’s rebuttal, The Atlantic published detailed transcripts of the messages allegedly shared by him, including specific strike timings:
• “1215 ET: 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.”
One message attributed to Vice President JD Vance read, “I will say a prayer for victory.” Another, allegedly by Congressman Mike Waltz, stated, “Building collapsed. Had multiple positive ID. Pete, Kurilla, the IC, amazing job.”
According to the report, this was in reference to Hegseth, General Michael E Kurilla, and the intelligence community.
Political Fallout And Security Debate
The incident has reignited concerns about operational security lapses under the current US administration. Critics argue that even if the information was not formally classified, sharing strike timelines over an unsecured platform like Signal represents a serious breach of protocol.
While no formal statement has yet been issued by the Pentagon beyond Hegseth’s public denial, the matter is reportedly being reviewed internally.
“Focus Remains On National Security”
Hegseth, who is currently touring the INDOPACOM region and holding meetings with US military commanders, stressed that his priority is national security, not “media gossip.”
“We will continue to do our job while the media does what it does best: peddle hoaxes,” he said.
