WASHINGTON — The Atlantic’s top editor said he was added to a text group in which top U.S. officials discussed detailed plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen with other top U.S. officials, an extraordinary breach of security from an administration that has repeatedly vowed to clamp down on leaks.

Atlantic Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg recounted in a 3,500-word story published Monday how he got a connection request on the Signal messaging app from someone identified as Michael Waltz. He initially believed the request was fake, but later realized the account belonging to the U.S. national security adviser was genuine after the group discussed detailed plans for an attack on the Houthis, a militant group that has carried out numerous attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Goldberg didn’t publish the actual plans in the article. But he said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at one point shared a post that featured “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.”

Hours later, the attacks went ahead.

The messages offer unparalleled insight into the administration’s thinking around the Houthis as well as internal power dynamics, given that they feature a debate among the principals, including Vice President JD Vance, who revealed to the group his initial opposition to the strikes. At one point, Vance offered gentle criticism of President Donald Trump’s plans.

“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now,” according to a message from a number believed to be Vance’s. “There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices.”

That line of reasoning was shut down from an account labeled “SM” — apparently White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — who wrote, “As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return.”

Senior members of Trump’s Cabinet were also in the group, including Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe, the director of the CIA.

Trump claimed to be unaware of the breach when asked about it at an event later Monday. His spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said in a statement he has the “utmost confidence” in his national security team, including Waltz.

In a statement, White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the message thread “appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.”

Rather than acknowledging any breach, however, Hughes said the chain showed “deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials,” and said its contents appeared not to have put anyone in danger.

“The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to our servicemembers or our national security,” he wrote.

The messages nonetheless amount to an unprecedented breach from officials including Hegseth who have in recent days pledged to crack down on leaks to the media as imperiling national security. Before the Yemen attack, Hegseth wrote in the chat, “We are currently clean on OPSEC,” using the military acronym for operational security.

The text messages raise other questions as well. The owner of the group, apparently Waltz, set the messages to disappear after several days, an apparent violation of laws meant to preserve government records. And Signal, which has gained a reputation as the most secure chat app, isn’t authorized by the government as a platform to disseminate classified information.

While there’s no set practice to respond to such a breach, even inadvertent or harmless leaks in the past have resulted in inquiries by the Federal Bureau of Investigation or agency inspectors general. Several Democratic lawmakers called for oversight hearings. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said he wanted to “figure out what went on there.”

“If true, this story represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen,” said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In the end, the strikes just over a week ago saw the United States unleash a fresh barrage of missiles against the Houthis, an Iran-backed group that has crippled shipping through the Red Sea with missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels that began after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel.

The messages also showed officials deeply at ease with messaging lingo, texting fist bump and fire emojis after the attacks occurred.

“Kudos to all – most particularly those in theater and CENTCOM! Really great,” an account identified as that belonging to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles wrote, referring to U.S. Central Command. “God bless.”

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(With assistance from Kate Sullivan.)

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