White House Blunder Exposes US War Strategy: What Got Leaked

A major security lapse has put the US military's Yemen strike plans under scrutiny after The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg claimed he was mistakenly added to a White House Signal chat.

While Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials insist no classified information was shared, Goldberg maintains he saw a minute-by-minute breakdown of the operation, including precise timing, targets, and weaponry.

According to Goldberg, the chat detailed a step-by-step sequence of the US airstrikes. The attack was set to begin at 1:45 am (Yemen Time) on March 15, with precision-guided missile strikes targeting Houthi air defence systems. At 1:52 am, surveillance drones were scheduled to confirm the effectiveness of the attack.

A second wave of strikes at 2:00 am would target radar installations, followed by a cyber warfare operation at 2:15 am to jam Houthi communications. US special forces were also on standby in case of mission failure.

The messages reportedly identified specific targets, including Houthi missile launchers, radar systems, and command centres. 

Goldberg claims the chat even included "human targets", suggesting the operation involved assassination-level targeting of high-ranking Houthi leaders, as per The NY Post. The White House has not confirmed this, but officials are now reviewing how such sensitive details were exposed.

Another key aspect of the leak was the discussion of weapons systems. The chat allegedly revealed that F-35 fighter jets, Tomahawk cruise missiles, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and electronic warfare systems would be used in the attack. Specific details about the types of weapons, their deployment, and contingency plans were reportedly outlined.

Goldberg also claimed the chat contained backup plans in case the initial attack failed. If radar stations were still operational after the first strike, a second wave of Tomahawk missiles was scheduled to follow within 30 minutes.

If Houthi commanders survived, drone strikes would be ordered to eliminate them. The plan also included real-time battle damage assessments, using satellite surveillance, intercepted communications, and human intelligence reports to confirm the mission's success.

Perhaps the most damaging revelation was that the chat allegedly disclosed US intelligence sources and vulnerabilities. It reportedly mentioned satellite imagery analysis, intercepted Houthi communications, and even human intelligence sources inside Yemen. 

Goldberg warned that had adversaries accessed this chat, they could have evacuated key targets, reinforced defences, or even launched a counterattack against US forces. "The information contained in them, if they had been read by an adversary, could conceivably have been used to harm US military and intelligence personnel," he said.

Goldberg also explained how he ended up in the chat. He claimed he received a Signal invitation from Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz. Waltz later told Fox News that Goldberg's number may have been "sucked" onto someone else's contact list due to a glitch in Signal. Some believe this was intentional sabotage by a White House insider, though the administration has not backed this theory.

President Donald Trump brushed off the controversy, calling The Atlantic "not much of a magazine."