Trump defence secretary Pete Hegseth breaks silence after Yemen war plans shared on group chat

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has accused The Atlantic's Editor-in-Chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, of “peddling hoaxes” after Trump’s national security team mistakenly included him in their group chat about Yemen’s ‘war plans.’

Hegseth described Goldberg as “deceitful” and a “so-called journalist” during his first Indo-Pacific trip as defence secretary in Hawaii.

“Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,” he stated.

When asked how war plans regarding the Houthis in Yemen were shared with a journalist, he discredited Goldberg, saying: “This is the guy who peddles in garbage.”

Hegseth did not clarify why Signal was used for the sensitive operation or how Goldberg was added to the chat.