Image source, EPA

Speaking to reporters, counsel to the president Alina Habba says her opinion is that the Atlantic are "making a big to do about nothing. A reporter that is trying to get clout".

"We were upfront about it. We went in yesterday, as you saw, for the better (part) of the day and got questions and answers by everybody," Habba says.

"We're allowed to have communications. That's period - the end," she says, adding that the White House stands by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who started the chat.

"I would love if the press, for once, would focus on the actual facts and actions of the administration. This is just, this is frankly just noise."

Image source, Reuters

US Vice-President JD Vance has responded to the Atlantic's publication of Signal chat messages, saying that editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg "oversold what he had".

But one thing "really stands out" from the latest article, Vance says, adding: "Remember when he was attacking [CIA chief John] Ratcliffe for blowing the cover for a CIA agent? Turns out Ratcliffe was simply naming his chief of staff."

The most significant of the new messages published by the Atlantic show real-time updates as the US carried out missile and drone strikes on the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen.

Here's what the Atlantic says the one of the previously unpublished Signal messages say, sent from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth:

At 11:44 EDT, he sent a long message detailing plans for strikes.

It says:

TEAM UPDATE:

“TIME NOW (1144et): Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch.”

“1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)”

“1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)"

“1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”

“1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)”

“1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.”

“MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)”

“We are currently clean on OPSEC.

“Godspeed to our Warriors.”

OPSEC is a reference to operational security, a systemic process for ensuring sensitive information is not leaked.

Image source, Reuters

In one part of the chat - which was unpublished in the initial message - CIA Director John Ratcliffe notes that the US is "mobilising assets" to help a strike, but that a delay would "not negatively impact" the agency's work in Yemen.

"Additional time would be used to identify better starting points for coverage on Houthi leadership," he wrote.

Classified, or not?published at 13:19 Greenwich Mean Time 26 March

13:19 GMT 26 March

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Now there’s nothing left to the imagination.

The Atlantic magazine has published the exact text messages that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sent to a high-level White House group chat providing key details about the US strike on Houthi forces in Yemen just hours before the attacks began.

The messages include the military hardware the US was using and the exact timings of when the strikes would take place, as well as initial reports about their effectiveness.

Just yesterday, Director of National Security Tulsi Gabbard said none of the material in the Signal chat group was classified. So after some consideration, magazine Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg decided to release them.

At this point the American public can decide whether this information, if it had fallen into the wrong hands, would have endangered US forces and undermined the operation’s chances of success.

The new story that includes the exact messages in the Signal group chat was published by the Atlantic shortly before several members of the chat group are set to appear before lawmakers.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will be at the US Capitol again on Wednesday morning, this time appearing before the House Intelligence Committee. The hearing starts at 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

The pair were the focus of relentless questions yesterday, particularly by Democrats, when they appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

They have been on Capitol Hill as part of a panel of the top US intelligence leaders for an annual briefing on global threats.

Image source, Getty Images

Headlined "Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump's Advisers Shared on Signal", the new Atlantic article's byline includes Jeffrey Goldberg, the magazine's editor who wrote the original story explaining that he'd been added to the group chat.

The new article includes extensive screenshots of the text exchanges.

Here is a summary of what we've learned:

• Goldberg says he's written a follow-up piece because people deserve to see the texts as they are in the public interest following claims by Trump officials that Goldberg had been lying.
• His team reached out to the US agencies involved in the group chat asking if they objected to his publishing of the texts. Some replied they did indeed object.
• The text chain in the chat began at 11:44 am EDT on 15 March, 31 minutes before the first US warplanes launched, with Pete Hegseth announcing an incoming update. What follows includes mention of weapons, the target, and the target's location.
• A follow-up text soon afterwards again mentions further weapons and timings.
• That is followed by a text from Mike Waltz at 1:48 EDT pm containing real-time intelligence about the US attack in Yemen.
• This led to the wave of positive responses from members of the chat that was reported earlier.
• Later that afternoon, Hegseth posted an update that attacks would go on through the night.

In another part of the chat published on Wednesday, an official - who appears to be Joe Kent, the Director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center - discusses timing for potential strikes on Yemen.

In his message, he notes that the strikes are not time-sensitive and that the same options would exist later on.

He also notes that the Israelis were anticipating retaliation from the Houthis and asked that their supplies be replenished if they had to carry out operations of their own.

Image source, EPA

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has dismissed the latest article in the Atlantic as "another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well known for his sensationalist spin".

It was not clear who Leavitt was referring to. The article has two authors - Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg - the journalist added to the chat - and Shane Harris, an expert on US intelligence agencies.

Writing on X, Leavitt said the article had conceded that the contents of the chat were not war plans.

The article accuses the administration of downplaying the important of messages in the chat.

The messages newly published in the Atlantic were sent on 15 March. They include messages from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth describing plans for air strikes on Yemen.

National Security Adviser Waltz responds with the outcomes of the strikes.

Then Vice-President JD Vance and CIA Director John Ratcliffe respond with praise and congratulations.

Image source, Getty Images

The new story from the Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg shares information that he left out of his story on Monday.

It comes after the White House and senior officials insisted that there was no classified information shared in the Signal group chat that he was accidentally added to.

Goldberg's credibility was also attacked by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.

This is why Goldberg says he is now publishing the full exchange:

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

On 15 March, the US launched what it described as a "decisive and powerful" series of air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.

Four days earlier, on 11 March, Jeffrey Goldberg writes that he received a connection request on the encrypted messaging app Signal from an account that purported to be White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz's.

Signal is used by journalists and Washington officials because of the secure nature of its communications, the ability to create aliases, and send disappearing messages.

Two days later, Goldberg said he was added to a Signal chat entitled "Houthi PC small group".

A number of accounts that appeared to belong to cabinet members and national security officials were included in the chat, Goldberg reported.

Accounts labelled "JD Vance," the name of the vice-president; "Pete Hegseth," the defence secretary; and "John Ratcliffe," the director of the Central Intelligence Agency; were among names in the chat. Top national security officials from various agencies also appeared to be added.

Goldberg says he watched as the group chat discussed targets and timings for military strikes. And those plans appeared accurate when US later launched air strikes on Houthis in Yemen that matched details from the group chat.

The Atlantic has just published another article, this time sharing some more details of what the magazine's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg says Trump advisers shared in a Signal group chat about strikes on Yemen.

The new article accuses the administration of downplaying the importance of messages in the chat that were inadvertently sent to Goldberg.