Defense Secretary Hegseth revealed plans to attack Yemen in chat group : Source

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive information about the Donald Trump administration's attack on the Houthi rebels in March with his family members and friends, including his wife, brother, and lawyer, through a separate Signal group chat from his personal phone, The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing sources.

Hegseth shared sensitive information - flight timings of the combat aircraft used to target Houthi targets on Yemeni soil - with his family and lawyer, NYT reported, citing unnamed sources who were part of the group.

According to the report, the said group, created by Hegseth, included a dozen others from his personal and professional circles. The group was created back in January, before he was confirmed as the defence chief. Hegseth further used his personal phone to access the Signal chat group named "Defence | Team Huddle," as reported by The New York Times.

Jennifer Rauchet, Hegseth’s wife and a former Fox News producer, has reportedly attended sensitive diplomatic meetings with him, despite holding no official position within the Defense Department. Meanwhile, his brother, Phil Hegseth, has joined the Department of Homeland Security as a senior adviser and liaison to the Pentagon, according to US media reports.

This development comes as a major embarrassment for the Trump administration, weeks after US President's national security adviser Mike Waltz mistakenly added The Atlantic's Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat - that included key Trump officials like US spy chief Tulsi Gabbard and Middle East convoy Steve Witkoff, among others - sharing details of the attack ahead of US strikes in Yemen, causing outrage in the White House.

In a scathing expose, the journalist revealed details of the Signal group chat, created by Waltz, ahead of the strikes on Houthis. He also exposed how Hegseth had divulged the plans shared on the private messaging app to other Trump officials who were not in the group. Questioning the credibility of Goldberg, Hegseth told reporters that "nobody was texting war plans."

Following the first Signal chat leaks, several top White House officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, urged Trump to fire Waltz. However, Trump turned their request down, saying that he wouldn't want to hand the media an easy win, reported Politico.