military strategy

The Atlantic reported on U.S. military strategy discussions involving Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and senior Trump administration officials, which were inadvertently shared with the magazine's editor, Jeffrey Goldberg. The conversations focused on military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Goldberg initially withheld specific details from the messages to protect U.S. personnel's safety. Following the publication, Trump administration officials claimed the exchanged information was not classified and attempted to discredit Goldberg. Hegseth asserted that the group was not discussing war plans. Despite the administration's stance, Goldberg and journalist Shane Harris argued for transparency regarding the texts, emphasizing the risks associated with sharing sensitive information through nonsecure channels. The texts revealed operational details, including timing and targeting of strikes, with a message sent just before U.S. warplanes were deployed. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that no classified information was shared but objected to the publication, framing it as an internal discussion. She differentiated between "war plans" and "attack plans," a distinction that created confusion.