Israel's Role in Airstrike Revealed Through Official Signals App Chat

WASHINGTON—Israel supplied crucial intelligence from a confidential informant in Yemen regarding a significant Houthi military leader who was the target of an assault. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz discussed this incident in an uncategorized Signal message exchange with high-ranking officials from the former Trump administration, according to two U.S. officials.

Soon after the American military operations kicked off , Waltz messaged that one of the main targets of the assaults, a Houthi missile specialist, was spotted going into his girlfriend’s apartment complex, which he mentioned had been demolished.

Israel has expressed private concerns to American officials about the publication of Waltz’s text, according to a U.S. official.

Israel’s contribution in providing intelligence that aided in tracking the militant underscores the sensitive nature of certain revelations within the documents and prompts queries regarding the Trump administration’s assertion that no classified information was exchanged via Signal, a widely accessible non-governmental platform.

"The initial objective was their leading missile specialist; we confirmed his identity as he entered his girlfriend's apartment complex, which has since been demolished," Waltz stated, without revealing the origin of this intelligence.

Waltz did not specify the origins of the intelligence but mentioned elsewhere that the U.S. had "several confirmed identifications." Additionally, according to defense officials, the U.S. obtained information regarding the strike targets from surveillance drones operating above Yemen.

Waltz’s comment was in reply to a query from Vice President JD Vance regarding the outcome of the strike that the national security advisor had first mentioned in the chat.

This week, the Atlantic magazine revealed messages exchanged by Waltz and other high-ranking Trump administration members. It appears that the publication’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to the Signal chat group where these discussions took place.

At a Pentagon press conference held two days following the strikes on March 15, Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich of the Air Force, who serves as the director of operations for the Joint Staff, informed journalists that the U.S. forces had targeted more than 30 locations. These included facilities used by Houthi leadership for command and control purposes, along with a site housing "multiple high-ranking Houthi drone specialists." The general noted that numerous military personnel were among those killed; however, he did not reference the missile specialist specifically.

The identity of a person in Yemen who was supplying information in real-time about the strikes would likely be carefully protected.

When asked about Israel’s provision of intelligence regarding the attack mentioned by Waltz, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes stated, "The post did not contain any classified information."

Reiterating remarks from Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and other high-ranking officials regarding the Signal app conversations, he stated, "these messages contain no location data, no sources and methods, and no war strategies. It was also mentioned that foreign allies had been informed beforehand of impending strikes."

The office of the Israeli Prime Minister and their embassy in Washington chose not to provide comments. Requests for remarks made to media representatives from the Israel Defense Forces, Defense Ministry, Central Intelligence Agency, as well as the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not receive an immediate response.

After an initial wave of attacks, Waltz posted real-time information into the Signal chat. “VP. Building collapsed. Had multiple positive ID. Pete, Kurilla, the IC, amazing job,” he wrote at 1:48 p.m., naming the defense chief, the head of U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, and the intelligence community.

Vance found the text perplexing: "What?" he responded after six minutes, possibly due to the mention of "VP" at the beginning of the message. At 2 p.m., Waltz explained that he had typed too hastily. He reiterated that the Houthis saw their missile expert entering his girlfriend's residence, which subsequently got demolished.

“Excellent,” Vance quickly responded.

Last year, the Biden administration worked on plans to target high-ranking Houthi military and political figures and reached out to Israel and Saudi Arabia for assistance, as per individuals privy to the secret deliberations. Although they did not proceed with these attacks, the efforts put into crafting such strategies seem to have provided the groundwork for the Trump administration’s targeting choices leading up to their March 15 strike against Houthi fighters in Yemen.

Waltz acknowledged taking charge of starting the Signal conversation and accidentally included Goldberg in it. President Trump has supported him, describing him as "a good person" who erred once. Additionally, Hegseth disclosed confidential details within the chat, such as the timings of fighter jets being deployed and estimated moments of assault.

According to current and past officials, unauthorized disclosures might jeopardize international intelligence sources and cause other countries to become hesitant about sharing confidential data. In recent weeks, representatives from the Trump administration stated that they've intensified their attempts to stop the leakage of classified details.

The government initiated these airstrikes to prevent the Houthis from targeting commercial and military vessels navigating the Red Sea—a region formerly known for high maritime traffic—and to discourage further missile assaults directed at Israel. Since the first set of strikes on March 15 as mentioned in the Signal conversation, the U.S. has carried out daily operations within Yemen. Then, on Thursday, the Houthis launched at least two missiles towards Jerusalem; however, Israeli defenses managed to intercept them.

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