In a major security breach, senior officials in the Trump administration accidentally sent detailed, sensitive military strike plans for Yemen to a group chat on Signal, a messaging app, which included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz initiated the conversation, which included high-level officials such as Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They were discussing military operations targeting Houthi militants in Yemen, posing a risk to US national security.

The inclusion of Goldberg, the Atlantic editor-in-chief, was a mistake, and the administration quickly reviewed the incident. Critics raised concerns about the use of an unclassified platform like Signal for classified operations, noting it could expose sensitive information to foreign hackers. Despite some officials defending the situation, others expressed disbelief over the mishandling of classified materials, which violates federal laws like the Espionage Act. The incident raised questions about how secure Signal is for discussing critical national security issues. Although the administration defended the operation’s success, the event highlighted significant concerns over communication protocols.