WASHINGTON: The Pentagon's independent watchdog said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss strikes on Yemen could have put American troops at risk, US media reported Wednesday.

The probe by the inspector general’s office concluded that Hegseth did not violate rules on classification, however, because he has the authority to declassify information, the reports said, citing sources familiar with the results of the investigation.

‘Extrajudicial killings’

The watchdog’s conclusion -- which has been transmitted to Congress -- is nonetheless likely to reignite debate over conduct by Hegseth, who is already under fire over US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that experts say amount to extrajudicial killings.

The probe was sparked by The Atlantic magazine's revelation in late March that its editor-in-chief was inadvertently included in a Signal chat in which US officials, including Hegseth and then-national security advisor Mike Waltz, discussed strikes on Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Editor labelled ‘liar’

The magazine initially withheld the details the officials discussed, but later published them after the White House insisted that no classified information was shared and attacked the editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, as a liar.

The chat included messages in which Hegseth revealed the timing of strikes hours before they happened and information on aircraft and missiles involved, while Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of the military action.

‘TOTAL exoneration’

In a post to X late on Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the review "a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth."

The Atlantic said that Waltz had set some Signal messages to disappear after one week and others after four, raising questions about whether federal records law was violated.

Waltz fired, Hegseth survives

Trump rejected calls to fire Hegseth and largely pinned the blame on Waltz, whom he ultimately replaced as national security advisor, appointing him as US ambassador to the United Nations instead.

US media then reported in April that Hegseth had created a second Signal chat in which the March Yemen strikes were discussed with people, including his wife and brother, but the Pentagon chief likewise weathered that storm and remained in office.

US forces launched a renewed air campaign against the Houthis on March 15.

Trump's strikes against the Houthis lasted until early May, when a ceasefire agreement was reached with the help of Omani mediation.

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Probe found Hegseth’s Signal use could have put US troops at risk: reports