AMMAN, Jordan — At first glance the official slogan and emblem of the Houthis, who are now the dominant force in Yemen, does not offer much hope to American policy makers.
It includes the words “Death to America, death to Israel, damnation to the Jews.” Houthis shout it when they march, wear it on arm patches, paint it on buildings and stick it onto their car windows. When pictured, those words are rendered in red, framed by “God is great” and “Victory to Islam” in green, on a white background.
Sometimes the red words are shown dripping blood.
But for all their harsh sloganeering, the Houthis may be a lot more moderate than it suggests, according to many diplomats and analysts who have followed them closely. They say it would be premature to dismiss them as Yemen’s Hezbollah, despite their alliance with Iran.
While Obama administration officials in Washington insisted that counterterrorism operations in Yemen against Al Qaeda, including armed drone flights, would continue despite the Houthi takeover, there were indications that given the political turmoil some specific missions and training might be suspended, reduced or altered on a case-by-case basis.
“The capability is all still there, we’re just picking and choosing now,” said one senior United States official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivities.
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A senior American military official said the United States military has established informal communication links with its Houthi counterparts, and this week has been using those channels to ensure there are no accidental clashes between American and Houthi personnel.
There is evidence that within the Houthis’ own ranks, a debate has been underway on how the group would relate to the United States if it took power. “We think that Yemen’s relations with the United States should be in the cooperation framework, just like with any country,” Ali Al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi party’s youth wing, said last year. “Our hostility is rather against U.S. policies that once are stopped, ours will stop, too.”
Mr. Bukhaiti, however, resigned last week from the Houthis’ organization in protest of the movement’s actions leading to Mr. Hadi’s resignation.
Last November, another progressive Houthi leader, Ali al-Emad, raised eyebrows when he made a rare visit to the United States. Addressing the Atlantic Council in Washington, he hardly seemed to be projecting moderation. The Houthi movement, he said, “welcomes international condemnation, as it confirms the group’s firmly Yemeni status.”
Rod Nordland reported from Amman, and Eric Schmitt from Washington. Reporting was contributed by Mona El-Naggar and Shuaib Almosawa from Sana, Yemen; Kareem Fahim from Baghdad; and Jodi Rudoren from Jerusalem.
A version of this article appears in print on January 25, 2015, on page A9 of the New York edition with the headline: Experts See Signs of Moderation Despite Houthis’ Harsh Slogans. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
