U.S. defense secretary shares attack details in 2nd Signal chat: report

NEW YORK, April 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen on March 15 in a private Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

Hegseth shared the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen, said the report, citing four anonymous sources with knowledge of the matter.

On the same day, Hegseth also sent a message in another Signal chat -- one that included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg -- sharing operational details about impending strikes on Yemen, scheduled to occur within two hours, Goldberg revealed in an article on March 24.

Hegseth's wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, is not a Defense Department employee, while Hegseth's brother Phil and his personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, both have jobs in the Pentagon, according to the report.

Unlike the chat in which Goldberg was mistakenly included, the newly revealed one was created by Hegseth, said the report.

Hegseth's use of the Signal messaging app to discuss military operations drew criticism and prompted a probe by the Defense Department's acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins.