Top US officials, including the vice-president and defence secretary, accidentally shared classified details about last week’s military strikes on Yemen with a journalist in an unofficial messaging group, in a stunning breach of security that triggered uproar in Washington.
JD Vance and Pete Hegseth were among the members of a Signal chat group that discussed operational details of the most significant military action taken by President Donald Trump since he returned to the White House and blasted European allies for “freeloading” off the US.
The apparent security breach came after Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic magazine, was added to the chat by national security adviser Mike Waltz ahead of last week’s attacks on Yemen-based Houthi rebels after they threatened to resume attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.