European leaders were notably silent on Tuesday following the text exchange between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, who noted their «loathing» of their long-standing allies.

«I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC,» Hegseth said in response to Vance, who questioned U.S. leadership in advancing security policies in the Red Sea to counter Houthi aggression and reopen shipping lanes. 

Vance broke from President Donald Trump, who directed the U.S. to ramp up strikes against the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen which, backed by Iran, began escalating attacks on merchant ships along the major trade route following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. 

US-UK COALITION STRIKE IRAN-BACKED HOUTHI TARGETS IN YEMEN AFTER SPATE OF SHIP ATTACKS IN RED SEA

Following the offensive push earlier this month, Vance, in a Signal group chat, texted the U.S.’s top security officials, including Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and CIA Director John Ratcliff, among others, that only «3 percent of U.S. trade runs through the [Suez Canal]. 40 percent of European trade does.» 

«There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this,» he added in reference to the route that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, and which is vital in connecting shipping from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. «I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now.»

«If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again,» he added.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron hold a meeting during a summit at Lancaster House in central London, Britain March 2, 2025. (JUSTIN TALLIS/Pool via REUTERS)

However, despite the degrading comments regarding the U.S. top allies, European leaders were noticeably tight-lipped in their response when Fox News Digital reached out for comment, and public statements were nearly non-existent.

The lack of public retort could suggest Europe is biting its tongue while it evaluates how to maintain a relationship with an administration that routinely argues against the value of its long-standing European allies.  

«Reality is that there is certainly an element of European freeloading on relying on America as the one country that has the capability to really take on the Houthis in a major way and drive them out,» Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, an international affairs think tank based in London told Fox News Digital. «The Houthis are a desert dwelling ragtag bunch of terrorists, and most European countries do not have the capabilities to deal with that sort of situation. 

From left to right, President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth participate in a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

«That tells you how bare Europe’s military cupboard is,» he continued. «The idea that 50 years ago that would have been the case would have been laughable, but it’s here today.»

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Ultimately, Mendoza argued, there would be an «element of hypocrisy» if Europe were to try and push back on the comment. 

«So I think a lot of Europeans, while not liking the way this conversation has unfolded…can’t actually dispute the substance, even if we don’t like the methodology for this conversation,» he added. «And therefore, it is probably better to say little about it than to risk this sort of bigger argument about burden sharing, once again, coming to the fore.» 

In the Signal text exchange, the administration officials said that «further economic gain» would need to be «extracted in return» for the U.S. taking the operational lead – which some British lawmakers took issue with, noting the Trump administration’s renewed attempt to «extort» money from its allies.

Additionally, the leader of the U.K.’s Liberal-Democrats, typically a more centrist party to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, took to X to say the text exchange showed, «JD Vance and his mates clearly aren’t fit to run a group chat, let alone the world’s strongest military force. It has to make our security services nervous about the intelligence we’re sharing with them.»

Though the official responses from nations looking to make inroads with Trump, like the U.K. and France, maintained they will continue to pursue «cooperation» with Washington. 

The U.K. – whose navy and air force have been heavily involved in countering Houthi aggression in the Red Sea alongside the U.S. – told Fox News Digital, «The U.S. is our primary ally, and we cooperate more closely than any other two nations on defense, intelligence, and security.»

The British-registered cargo ship Rubymar is seen sinking on March 3 after it was targeted by Yemen’s Houthi forces while traveling in the Red Sea. ( Al-Joumhouriah channel via Getty Images)

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«The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to secure shipping in the Red Sea and has conducted a series of U.K. and joint U.K.-U.S. strikes over the past two years – helping to diminish Houthi rebel assets in the region,» a British Embassy spokesperson said. «Prime Minister [Keir] Starmer has been clear about the need for European nations to step up their security contribution and the U.K. has led with announcing a major increase in defense spending and committing U.K. troops to a future Ukraine peace keeping force.»

Similarly, a spokesman for the French Embassy said, «France is not in the habit of commenting on reported remarks, no matter how surprising they may be. The United States is our ally and France intends to continue cooperating with Washington.»

Israel’s war in Gaza resumed in full force last week after the collapse of a two-month ceasefire and a deadlock in negotiations over the release of the remaining hostages. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new wave of airstrikes, quickly followed by coordinated ground operations in three key areas: the Netzarim Corridor, Gaza’s northern coastline and the Rafah district in the south.

With expanded U.S. support and favorable shifts in the regional landscape, this next phase signals a significant evolution in Israel’s military objectives, from degrading Hamas’s battlefield capabilities to dismantling its ability to govern.

«We’ve been fighting them for 10 days,» said Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror (res.), former Israeli national security advisor. «All they’ve managed to do is fire seven rockets. That tells you how much damage we’ve inflicted already.»

ISRAEL LAUNCHES NEW GROUND OPERATION IN GAZA

A senior Israeli security official told Fox News Digital: «We seized weapons caches, labs, and command centers. Hamas today is not functioning like an army. It’s a dangerous terror group, but it’s not what it was on October 7.»

According to Israeli data, most of Hamas’s senior command has been eliminated and only fragmented units remain.

«They’ve lost their experienced leadership,» the official said. «They’re operating in survival mode.»

This time, Israel is operating under dramatically improved conditions, both militarily and diplomatically.

«The strategic environment has changed,» Amidror told Fox News Digital. «Hezbollah is weaker, Iran is constrained, and the American administration is offering us true support. They’re not telling us where to bomb or how to fight.»

With fewer threats on other fronts and strong backing from the Trump administration, the IDF has broadened its scope to include Hamas’s political leadership.

«We’re not just degrading military capabilities anymore,» Amidror said. «We’re dismantling the structure that allowed Hamas to govern.»

During the pause in fighting, Hamas consolidated control over humanitarian aid, confiscating supplies, reselling goods and using them to recruit fighters and maintain loyalty. Israeli officials now say that won’t be allowed to continue.

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Hamas terrorists watch as hostages are released to the Red Cross as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. (TPS-IL)

«We are working to find a solution so that humanitarian aid reaches civilians and is not weaponized by Hamas,» the senior Israeli security official explained. He noted that Gaza currently has sufficient food reserves and that Israel is developing new delivery mechanisms that bypass Hamas entirely.

Fifty-nine Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity. Their continued detention has sparked nationwide protests, with families urging the government to prioritize a negotiated release. But the renewed fighting puts those hostages in greater danger.

«The only real limitation is the hostages,» Amidror acknowledged. «We want them alive, and fighting a war while trying to protect them is a huge challenge.»

«My position is that first we have to get the hostages back, even if we need to commit to end the war and pull back to a security perimeter,» said Ram Ben Barak, former deputy head of Mossad and current Knesset member. «We can commit to that, but only if Hamas gives all the hostages back. If they don’t, that alone is a reason to go back to war. And even if Hamas does return them, we’ll be watching. If Hamas starts smuggling weapons again or training fighters, that, too, will be a reason to go in and hit them hard.»

Israeli soldiers sit on a tank in front of the northern Gaza Strip as seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on March 18, 2025. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

The security official said military pressure is part of a coordinated effort to bring the hostages home.

«They released a group of hostages earlier than planned because of the pressure we applied in Netzarim when they refused to release Arbel Yehud,» he said.

Despite tactical gains, Israeli leaders know the war cannot eliminate Hamas’s ideology. The mission, they say, is to prevent it from ever ruling Gaza again.

MORE AID IS SUPPOSED TO BE ENTERING THE GAZA STRIP. WHY ISN’T IT HELPING?

Israeli troops encircle Tel al-Sultan in Gaza. (IDF)

«We won’t go back to the days when we let them quietly build an army,» Ben Barak told Fox News Digital. «We’ll strike every time we see military training or arms smuggling. They’ll never have tanks or armored vehicles again.»

Ben Barak said Israel can’t remain in Gaza long-term: «If we stay like we did in Lebanon for 19 years, we’ll leave in shame. The only way to win is to have someone else replace Hamas and govern Gaza.»

He also pointed to the West Bank as a partial model: «In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority governs, and we operate from the perimeter when needed. We need the same in Gaza: an internationally backed civil authority that rebuilds the [Gaza] Strip and keeps Hamas out.»

Still, he cautioned against illusions of peace.

«There won’t be peace in the next 20 years. But like Egypt did with the Muslim Brotherhood, we can suppress Hamas’s ideology and stop it from taking root again.»

Ben Barak also said Gazans who wish to leave should be allowed to: «Let them out. If they have visas and want to go, Israel should let them. It will make military operations easier in a less densely populated area.»

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Israeli forces are now deeply embedded in Gaza, with simultaneous operations in the north, south and central regions.

«These aren’t symbolic moves,» Amidror said. «We’re positioning ourselves for the next stage. We will eventually need to reach every tunnel, blow up the infrastructure, and kill every Hamas terrorist. It is achievable, but it will take at least a year.»

Houthi militants in Yemen are claiming responsibility for recent attacks against U.S. warships in the Red Sea. 

The terror group claimed in a statement published by the Jerusalem Post Tuesday that they had attacked the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and several U.S. warships in the Red Sea.

Early on Wednesday, the Houthis said they had targeted a U.S. vessel and Israeli military locations using drones.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment.

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The Houthis had claimed earlier this month that they had attacked the Truman and its warship in response to U.S. attacks on Yemen, but offered no evidence to support their claim of retaliation.

The U.S. military had shot down several Houthi drones a short time before the group’s claim.

This comes after several Trump administration officials discussed plans for a forthcoming military strike against the Houthis in a group chat on the encrypted messaging service Signal in which they mistakenly added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who said he received a request to join the group on March 11 from what appeared to be the president’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz.

The group, called «Houthi PC Small Group,» featured top Trump officials discussing what turned out to be an upcoming attack on the Houthis, as many are criticizing the group chat as a massive breach of national security and note that senior officials are not supposed to discuss detailed military plans outside special secure facilities or protected government communications networks.

TRUMP OFFICIALS ACCIDENTALLY TEXT ATLANTIC JOURNALIST ABOUT MILITARY STRIKES IN APPARENT SECURITY BREACH

The Houthis claimed they had attacked the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and several U.S. warships in the Red Sea. (Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Goldberg reported that 18 people were listed in the group, including Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

The article noted that officials were discussing «war plans,» and Goldberg said he elected not to publish some of the highly sensitive information he saw in the Signal chat, including precise information about weapons packages, targets and timing, because of potential threats to national security and military operations.

The editor also said that Ratcliffe put the name of a CIA undercover agent into the Signal chat.

The Houthis said they had targeted a U.S. vessel and Israeli military locations using drones. (AP)

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The White House has confirmed that the group chat «appears to be authentic,» although administration officials, including Hegseth, have sought to downplay concerns and discredit Goldberg as a reporter.

«I’ve heard how it was characterized. Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,» Hegseth said Monday.

Hegseth criticized Goldberg as «a deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again, to include the, I don’t know, the hoaxes of Russia, Russia, Russia, or the fine people on both sides hoax or suckers and losers hoax. So this guy is garbage.»