White House dismisses 'hoax' Atlantic magazine report, denies leak of war plans

The White House accused The Atlantic of peddling a "hoax" Wednesday after the magazine's editor accessed advance details of US military strikes against Yemen's Houthis through an errant Signal group chat.

"The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT 'war plans,'" spokesperson Karoline Leavitt wrote on X, calling the report a "sensationalist spin" by a "Trump-hater."

Vice President JD Vance asserted that Jeffery Goldberg "oversold what he had," while National Security Advisor Michael Waltz suggested that no locations, sources, methods and war plans were shared in the group. "Foreign partners had already been notified that strikes were imminent," he said.

The comments came after the magazine revealed Wednesday that Goldberg. received strike timings two hours before the March 13 operation.

The Atlantic accused US officials of "downplaying" the importance of the messages, noting Goldberg learned of aircraft departure times before the strikes. "Had fallen into the wrong hands in that crucial two-hour period, American pilots and other American personnel could have been exposed to even greater danger than they ordinarily would face," it warned.

The controversy stems from Goldberg's accidental inclusion in the "Houthi PC small group" Signal chat, which included top officials like Vance, Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

"Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch," Hegseth wrote in the conversations, sharing key times about the attack.

US President Donald Trump previously dismissed concerns, stating no classified material was shared.