Atlantic publishes numerous messages from Signal chat discussing plans to bomb Yemen

The Atlantic magazine has published fresh messages from the Signal chat group including from top US officials discussing operational details of plans to bomb Yemen.

The initial revelations by the magazine and its editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, who was accidentally added to the chat, have created a huge scandal in the US, and the Trump administration has faced withering attacks over the disastrous leak of sensitive information. However, the magazine did not include specific details of the attack, saying it did not want to jeopardise national security.

But as part of its response to the scandal, and its attack on Goldberg and the Atlantic, numerous Trump administration officials have said that none of the information on the Signal chat chain was “classified information” – despite the Atlantic describing it as operational details of the US strike on Yemen’s Houthi militia, which has been attacking shipping in the Red Sea.

In a new article published on Wednesday, the Atlantic said it was now releasing that information.

“There is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared,” the magazine said.

The magazine then reproduced numerous messages from the text chat between the Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth – who said on Tuesday that “nobody was texting war plans” – and top intelligence officials.

They included details of US bombings, drone launches and targeting information of the assault, including descriptions of weather conditions.

“If this text had been received by someone hostile to American interests – or someone merely indiscreet, and with access to social media – the Houthis would have had time to prepare for what was meant to be a surprise attack on their strongholds. The consequences for American pilots could have been catastrophic,” the Atlantic wrote.

The Atlantic also quoted an email response from the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, after the magazine contacted the Trump administration to say it was considering publishing the entirety of the email chain. Leavitt wrote: “As we have repeatedly stated, there was no classified information transmitted in the group chat. However, as the CIA Director and National Security Advisor have both expressed today, that does not mean we encourage the release of the conversation.”

Donald Trump, when asked on Tuesday about the leak, also said: “It wasn’t classified information”. He dismissed the leak as “the only glitch in two months”.

The article was published just over an hour before a House intelligence committee hearing was set to begin. At yesterday’s hearing, both the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, who were participants in the Signal chat, said the leak contained no classified information.

Democrats will no doubt use today’s hearing to demand an explanation of how operational attack plans are not classified information.

Last week, NPR reported that the Pentagon warned its staff specifically against the use of Signal because of its security vulnerabilities. In a Pentagon “OPSEC special bulletin” sent on 18 March, it warned that Russian hacking groups could aim to exploit the vulnerability.