NEW YORK, December 4. /TASS/. The information about pending US strikes on Yemen shared by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in a Signal chat was deemed classified, NBC reported.

The US television channel cited two people who had read a report filed by Defense Department Inspector General Steven Stebbins. It outlines the results of a more than eight-month probe into Hegseth’s use of Signal. The Pentagon’s internal watchdog also concluded that Hegseth breached military rules by using his personal phone for business purposes.

Earlier, CBS quoted an official as saying that a classified version of Stebbins’ report was sent to Congress and that its unredacted version will be released on Thursday. The investigation was launched eight months ago at the request of lawmakers. In April, Stebbins stated that his office would seek to verify whether the Department of Defense leadership and personnel adhered to the rules governing the use of commercial messaging apps.

In late March, The Atlantic published screenshots from a Signal chat where US administration officials discussed strikes on Yemen. Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported that on March 15, a user nicknamed Pete Hegseth shared details of the planned strikes on the Houthis and the timing of the operation, which Goldberg noted coincided with the first social media reports of the bombings.