Congress reacts to scandalous officials' messages on US strikes in Yemen
Photo: Congress members respond calmly to the revelation of scandalous messages (Getty Images)
The discussion by American officials regarding plans for US strikes on Yemen in a regular chat, rather than secure communication channels, has prompted a serious reaction from several politicians. Congress members have called for an investigation into the scandalous incident, according to ABC News and CBS News.
US Secretary of Defense, Pete Ghegset, stated on Monday evening that "no military plans were sent," calling Goldberg "a lying and thoroughly discredited so-called journalist" who "spreads fabrications."
Senator Jack Reed, a leading Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, described the leak as "one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense" he has ever seen.
"Military operations need to be handled with utmost discretion, using approved, secure lines of communication, because American lives are on the line. The carelessness shown by President Trump's cabinet is stunning and dangerous. I will be seeking answers from the Administration immediately," Reed's statement said.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, downplayed the national security concerns surrounding the incident. He stated that the administration was looking into what had happened and explained that the phone number had accidentally been included in the discussion. He assured that they would track the situation and ensure it would not happen again. When asked by an ABC News correspondent whether the incident was irresponsible, Johnson responded that he would not characterize what had occurred. He believed the administration had acknowledged it as a mistake and would strengthen control measures to prevent it from happening again, adding that he didn't know what else could be said.
Johnson also expressed that he did not think National Security Advisor Mike Waltz or Secretary of Defense Pete Ghegset should face disciplinary action over the matter.
At the same time, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Republicans to cooperate with Democrats in fully investigating why military operations were coordinated through Signal rather than secure taxpayer-funded communication channels. Schumer referred to the breach as one of the most appalling violations of military intelligence he had read about in a long time. He emphasized that such carelessness led to fatalities and allowed to exploit the situation, putting national security at risk.
Scandalous Signal chat meeting
On March 11, the editor-in-chief of the American publication The Atlantic was accidentally added to a closed chat on the Signal messaging app. In the chat, officials discussed the details of strikes on the Houthi group in Yemen.
US Secretary of Defense, Pete Ghegset, revealed details of the upcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. planned to deploy, and the sequence of attacks. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes confirmed that the chat was legitimate.
US-Yemen tensions escalate
The situation in the Middle East region has intensified over the past week.
On March 15, the United States struck multiple Houthi targets in Yemen.
In response, militants fired ballistic missiles and drones at the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.
Additionally, Yemeni terrorists have been launching ballistic missiles almost daily toward Israel, attempting to strike Ben-Gurion Airport in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
