Rabat — Just weeks after The Atlantic’s editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported that he was added to a high-level military group chat — where he received details about US attacks on Yemen hours before they occurred on March 15 — US media is now reporting additional leaks involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
According to The New York Times, Hegseth shared sensitive military information, including flight schedules for airstrikes in Yemen, in a private Signal group chat that included individuals with no official clearance. Among the recipients were his wife Jennifer Hegseth, his brother, a former Fox News producer, and his personal lawyer.
Hegseth reportedly created the group chat prior to his official confirmation as defense secretary earlier in January. Though the group — titled “Defense|Team Huddle” — was originally intended for administrative purposes, Hegseth is said to have used it to share operational details about US airstrikes in Yemen on March 15.
Hegseth reportedly shared the same sensitive information in another Signal group, this one including Jeffrey Goldberg, in what was described as a mistake. That particular chat had been created by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and was meant for senior officials involved in coordinating the military operations.
In response to a bipartisan request from Senate Armed Services Committee leaders, the Pentagon’s acting inspector general is currently investigating the possible disclosure of classified information via the chat with Goldberg.
Meanwhile in Yemen, on Sunday, April 20, a US airstrike hit a crowded market in the capital city of Sanaa, killing at least 12 people and injuring over 30 others. Local media reported that the strike targeted the Farwah Market in the Shu’ub neighborhood, one of the busiest marketplaces in the city.
The attack came just a day after the US launched 13 strikes on the port and airport in Hodeidah, and only three days after its deadliest strike in Yemen to date, which targeted the Ras Isa port, killing 80 people and wounding 150– all part of a 1 billion campaign against a country that has been made poor due to endless war and a decade long blockade.
Although US Central Command did not respond to requests for comment, it had stated on April 17, following the destruction of the Ras Isa Fuel Port, that its strikes were intended to “degrade the economic source of the Houthis.” It emphasized that the operation was not aimed at harming Yemeni civilians—without acknowledging the civilian casualties caused by the attacks.
The US significantly escalated its military campaign in Yemen on March 15, in an effort to deter Houthi attacks on Israeli and American warships in the Red Sea, which are in protest of Israel’s genocide and the ongoing humanitarian blockade in Gaza.
