US national security scandal deepens as new Signal messages revealed

A national security scandal involving senior US intelligence and defence officials has intensified with the release of screenshots showing Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sharing detailed information about airstrikes in Yemen via a messaging app.

The Pentagon leader used a group chat on Signal to communicate with other top Trump administration figures about imminent airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthis on 15 March this year.

Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine, revealed the existence of the chat on Monday, explaining that he had mistakenly been added to the group by Michael Waltz, the US national security adviser.

Since Goldberg's bombshell piece was published, Democrats have called for Hegseth and Waltz to resign over what they have called a serious intelligence breach, while the Trump administration has sought to limit the fallout.

After Trump and his allies insisted that no classified information had been shared in the group, the Atlantic decided to publish a longer transcript of the conversation on Wednesday along with screenshots from the group chat.

In the course of the discussion, Hegseth lists the precise timings of US military operations against the Houthis mere hours before they are due to take place. He also details the weapons and aircraft that will be used.

In response to the latest revelations, Democrats have ramped up their demands for Hegseth to step down.

Andy Kim, a Democratic senator from New Jersey, posted on X: “This new signal chat is shocking. Clearly incredibly sensitive and classified information.”

“As someone who worked in the Situation Room before, I cannot believe Hegseth would recklessly text info that could put a target on our pilots and service members. He