Pentagon watchdog to investigate Pete Hegseth over Signal war-planning chat leak

Defense chief and others discussed US military operations on messaging app that included journalist

The inspector general of the Department of Defense (DOD) is launching an investigation into Pentagon secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss sensitive information about military operations in Yemen.

The probe, announced on Thursday, follows a bipartisan request from the Senate armed services committee after allegations emerged that highly precise - and most likely classified - intelligence about impending US airstrikes in Yemen, including strike timing and aircraft models, had been shared in a Signal group chat that included a journalist.