A secret group chat on Signal among top Trump administration officials provided an unfiltered look at how the team decided to bomb Houthi militants in Yemen.

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A secret group chat of top Trump administration officials, disclosed to the world after the mistaken addition of the Atlantic’s top editor, provided an unfiltered look at the decision-making process behind the U.S. strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen earlier this month.

After war broke out between Hamas and Israel in October 2023, the Houthis began attacking container ships and oil tankers traversing the Red Sea in protest of Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip. The rebel movement — which functions as a de facto government in the parts of Yemen it controls — says it is attacking Israeli-linked vessels and those destined for Israel’s ports.

The Red Sea is an important shipping route for global trade, connecting Asia to Europe. Many shipping companies have diverted from the route to avoid such attacks, disrupting so-called freedom of navigation and adding to shipping costs.

Here’s what to know about why the United States bombed Yemen, and what the now not-so-secret chat tells us about the Trump team’s strategy: