U.S. National Security Advisor Leaks Israeli Intelligence in Signal Chat for Houthi Strikes

U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz revealed information provided by Israeli intelligence in a Signal chat.

According to The Wall Street Journal, citing an anonymous U.S. official, Israeli officials expressed dissatisfaction with the public disclosure of the discussions.

“We definitely identified the first target – their chief rocket maker, when he entered his girlfriend’s house, and now he’s destroyed,” Waltz wrote in the chat.

He did not specify the sources of the obtained data, but in another message, he mentioned that the U.S. has “numerous positive identification data.”

Two days after the strikes, on March 15, Maj. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich reported at a Pentagon briefing that the U.S. had targeted over 30 sites in Yemen. However, he did not mention the elimination of the missile expert.

Last year, the Biden administration considered options for strikes against higher-ranking military and political leaders of the Houthis, involving Israeli and Saudi partners.

Although these strikes were never carried out, the groundwork seems to have formed the basis for the operation conducted by the Trump administration on March 15.

The personal details of the informant who likely assisted in the elimination of the Houthi missile expert are unlikely to be revealed. However, the very fact of such a leak raises significant concerns.

Signal Chat

It’s worth noting that on March 11, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the publication, received a connection request on the Signal messenger from a user named Michael Waltz – the U.S. President’s National Security Advisor.

The journalist accepted the request, hoping to discuss global security issues, particularly in Ukraine and Iran. However, the events that followed turned out to be much more unexpected.

Two days later, Goldberg was added to a group chat titled Houthi PC small group. It included high-ranking U.S. officials, such as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance.

The discussion focused on strikes against the Houthi group and the international situation resulting from the blockade of the Suez Canal.

During public hearings in the Senate, chat participants denied the disclosure of sensitive information that could harm the defense capabilities of the U.S.

“Nobody sent military plans. That’s all I can say about it,” Hegseth told one of the reporters.

However, the released screenshots suggest the opposite.

They show that Hegseth revealed the takeoff time of F-18 fighter jets and MQ-9 drone details, as well as information about the target that was supposed to be at the strike point, emphasizing that “the strike must be timely.”