The Atlantic has released a series of messages from a Signal group chat, which appears to show high-level military operation planning, contradicting government officials' claims that no "war plans" were discussed. The messages, published on March 26th, include details of weather conditions for targeted strikes, descriptions of targets, confirmations, congratulations, and names of specific drones used in the attack.

The release of the messages comes after a series of denials from government officials, including US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who all claimed that no classified material was shared in the chat. Hegseth had stated that "nobody was texting war plans," while Leavitt claimed that "no 'war plans' were discussed." Gabbard reiterated the claim that "no classified material" was shared.

However, the released messages tell a different story. They include details of military operations, such as the launch of F-18s and strike drones, and even a message from Mike Waltz, Trump's national security adviser, describing the first target - their top missile guy - and the collapse of his girlfriend's building. The messages also show congratulatory responses from other group members, including CIA Director Ratcliffe.

The release of the messages has sparked outrage among lawmakers, with Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia calling it a "pattern of an amazing cavalier attitude towards classified information" that "is reckless, sloppy and stunning." Republican Rep. Don Bacon from Nebraska described it as "unconscionable," while Republican Sen. John Cornyn from Texas said, "It sounds like a huge screw-up. ... Is there any other way to describe it?"

The incident has raised serious concerns about the handling of classified information and operational security. As Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island noted, if the incident did in fact occur, it "represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen."

Despite the controversy, President Donald Trump downplayed the incident, telling NBC News that the situation "turned out not to be a serious one" and referring to it as a "glitch." However, the release of the messages has made it clear that the incident is far more serious than initially claimed.

The incident has also sparked a wider debate about the use of encrypted messaging apps by government officials and the handling of classified information. As the story continues to unfold, it remains to be seen what consequences will be faced by those involved and what changes will be made to prevent similar incidents in the future.