Ali al-Qahoum, a member of the Political Bureau of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, told Al Mayadeen on Friday that the United States is pursuing "criminal behavior" by targeting Yemeni people and territory over Yemen's stance in support of Gaza and Palestine.

Al-Qahoum emphasized Yemen's commitment to international law and maritime navigation, asserting Yemen's capability to secure these without the need for US or Israeli presence.

He highlighted the failure of American attempts to protect Israeli ships in the Red Sea, which forced "Israel" to redirect its ships elsewhere. Most recently, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced targeting the Israeli-owned Unity Explorer and Number 9 vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait off the coast of Yemen, confirming direct hits on both. In November, Yemeni naval forces seized an Israeli vessel following a military operation in the Red Sea, escorting the ship to Yemeni shores.

The Yemeni official stressed that Yemeni operations have significantly impacted the dynamics supporting Palestine and Gaza, altering power balances and shocking the United States, the West, and the Zionists.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States has reportedly advised "Israel" against responding to missile and drone attacks originating from Yemen.

Instead, the US has urged "Israel" to permit the American military to handle the response, the report stressed.

With this move, the US has taken upon itself the mission of responding to threats from the Yemeni front while being thousands of miles away from home. 

Having deployed its warshi[s in the region, the US has already intercepted several missiles aimed at "Israel", while "Israel" has intercepted others, the report further detailed.

The report, based on information from US and other government officials, indicated that the US is apprehensive that an Israeli counter-response could further escalate the existing war.

US admin. officials cautious about responding to Red Sea operations

On the other hand, Politico cited three US officials as saying that senior officials in the Biden administration are in agreement that, at present, taking military action against the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement is not the appropriate course of action.

Despite some military officers proposing more robust responses to the attacks in the Red Sea, there is a consensus at the highest levels of the administration that it does not make sense for the US military to engage with Ansar Allah directly, the news website revealed.

Although military officers responsible for US operations in the Middle East have developed options for responding to Ansar Allah, these options are not actively being advocated at this time, as stated by one official and a fourth American official.

While the military presents various options to senior commanders, the final decision rests with the US president and the administration's political appointees. Despite high-level meetings throughout the week, according to two officials, the Pentagon has neither briefed US President Joe Biden on potential actions against Ansar Allah targets nor recommended such actions.

Senior Biden administration officials, while acknowledging the threat to US troops, remain unconvinced that a military response is necessary. They believe that the Ansar Allah movement was attempting to target assets with connections to the Israeli occupation, either owned by Israeli companies or crewed by Israelis, rather than US warships, Politico mentioned.

Additionally, senior officials across the government are concerned that a significant strike on Ansar Allah positions could jeopardize efforts to broker a new ceasefire between Saudi forces and Ansar Allah in Yemen, according to a fifth US official and a lawmaker.

Read more: US claims Iran involved in Yemeni Red Sea operations against 'Israel'