New Signal Leak Raises Alarm as Civilian Deaths Mount in Unconstitutional U.S. Strikes on Yemen

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Action Corps, a humanitarian advocacy group, and Peace Action, the nation’s largest grassroots peace network, on Tuesday, April 22, called for Congress to introduce a War Powers Resolution to end U.S. military operations in Yemen, following disturbing new reports of civilian deaths and a second leak of sensitive war planning details by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. On Easter Sunday, April 20, The New York Times reported that the U.S. struck a densely populated section of Sana’a, the Yemeni capital, killing 12 people and injuring 30.

Dr. Aisha Jumaan, the Seattle-based president of the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation, said of the bombings that day, “They bombed a market in Sana’a, killing many.”
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The administration has not sought authorization from Congress, as required by Article I of the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973. The 1973 law allows Congress to end U.S. participation in hostilities not authorized by a formal declaration or specific legislation.

“This is a critical test of Congress’ role under the Constitution,” said Evans-Frantz. “We urge lawmakers to step up now—not after more civilians are killed or more classified information is mishandled.”
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The Trump administration launched the current air campaign in Yemen on March 15 without congressional authorization. The following day Dr. Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the Ansar Allah (Houthi) government health ministry, reported that 53 people had been killed, including women and children, and 98 people injured, in one of the most expansive attacks on the country since October 2023. The strikes reportedly included attacks on residential areas in Yemen’s capital Sana’a, the Dahyan power station, a cancer facility being built in the city of Saada, and critical infrastructure across multiple governorates. From March 23 to 24, the U.S. pummeled the country with airstrikes on Sadaa, Hodeida, and Sana’a, striking a building in Sana’a that resulted in at least one death and 13 people injured, according to local authorities. The U.S. administration has continued the strikes since.

Second Signal Leak Raises New Security Questions
According to a New York Times investigation published Saturday, Defense Secretary Hegseth used a Signal chat on his personal phone, which included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer—to share flight schedules of F/A-18 Hornets ahead of the March 15 airstrikes on Yemen.
This is the second Signal leak in the last 30 days. A previous thread, reported by The Atlantic, mistakenly included a journalist during sensitive war planning. In both cases, senior officials used unsecured personal devices to discuss highly sensitive combat operations. This is raising alarms about national security and oversight.
“While the leaks have dominated headlines, they shouldn’t distract from the larger issue: the U.S. is waging an illegal war in Yemen without congressional approval,” said Evans-Frantz. “The real scandal isn’t just the mishandling of information—it’s that the strikes themselves are unconstitutional and deadly.”

No Legal Basis, No Strategic Clarity, and Congressional Response
The Trump administration has claimed the strikes protect commercial shipping but there was no evidence of Houthi attacks on U.S. vessels between January and March 15. Houthi forces resumed attacks on the U.S. only after the U.S. began bombing Yemen (PBS).
On March 27, Action Corps, DAWN, and Just Foreign Policy called for congressional action to end the airstrikes. In a March 31 Responsible Statecraft article, Rep. Massie said there may be some effort in the House to push for a War Powers Resolution or other means to end U.S. military operations in Yemen. On April 9, progressive members of Congress sent a letter to President Trump stating that they were exploring “legislative responses to the unauthorized use of offensive military force in Yemen.”
“These strikes were unconstitutional from the start. Now we’re seeing reckless leadership and escalating civilian harm,” said Isaac Evans-Frantz, director of Action Corps. “Congress must act immediately to halt this unauthorized war, stop likely war crimes, and reassert Congress’ sole authority to decide when the U.S. goes to war.”

These three recent statements suggest a window of opportunity for diplomacy, as both the U.S. administration and Ansar Allah (the Houthis) have said that if the other party to the conflict stops its aggression, it too will cease aggression:

• President Trump on TruthSocial on March 31: “The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you.”
• Defense Secretary Hegseth on Fox News: “The minute the Houthis say, ‘We’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones,’ this campaign will end.”
• Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, long-time spokesman for Ansar Allah: “If the U.S. stops targeting Yemen, we will cease our military operations against it.”
  So far, the administration has done everything but stop military operations in Yemen.

“As Yemen enters its second decade of relentless bombing and war, the country is enduring one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time — millions displaced, starved, or left without basic services,” said Jon Rainwater, executive director of Peace Action. “The Trump administration’s unauthorized strikes — including on civilian targets — only deepen this tragedy. It is time for Congress to step up, assert its constitutional war powers, and end U.S. participation in this catastrophe. The Yemeni people cannot afford more bombs — they need peace, aid, and a political solution.”