KINGSTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has admitted that including a journalist in a group military chat about airstrikes was a “big mistake.” He promised reforms to prevent such incidents in the future.
“Obviously, someone made a mistake – someone made a big mistake – and added a journalist. Nothing against journalists, but you ain’t supposed to be on that thing,” Rubio said at a news conference in Jamaica. The controversy has dominated headlines for three days.
Reforms Expected After Incident
Rubio did not assign blame but assured that changes would be made. “I think there will be reforms and changes made so this is not going to happen again,” he stated.
He clarified that he had only participated in the chat twice—once to assign a representative and later to congratulate US troops after the airstrikes on Yemen were publicly announced.
Read: Journalist Waheed Murad Remanded to FIA Custody for Two Days
Journalist Exposed to Military Plans
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed that he was mistakenly added to the chat on the Signal app by Mike Waltz, the national security advisor. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly shared strike plans in the same chat.
Despite the leak, Rubio insisted that no sensitive information had compromised US operations. “None of the information on there at any point threatened the operation or the lives of our servicemen,” he said.
Tensions Over US Involvement in Yemen Strikes
Leaked messages from The Atlantic exposed internal disagreements over the decision to strike Houthi rebels. Vice President JD Vance criticized the move, arguing that the US was “bailing out” Europe, which suffers more from disruptions in Red Sea shipping.
Hegseth agreed, calling Europe’s reliance on US military action “PATHETIC.”
Rubio Defends US Strikes
When asked about the controversy, Rubio defended the US response. “I think the point I would make is not, we’re going to make somebody pay or not. It’s (that) everybody should recognise we are doing the world a great favour going after these guys, because this can’t continue,” he said.
The fallout from the chat leak has sparked debate over US military transparency and security measures. Authorities are expected to implement stricter communication protocols to prevent similar mistakes.
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