Former British Ambassador to Yemen, Edmund Fitton Brown, has revealed shocking details about his conversations with high-ranking Houthi leaders, claiming they informed him "in advance" of their intention to assassinate former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Brown, now a senior advisor for the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), shared these revelations during an online seminar organized by CEP to discuss a report on "Houthi Diversion of Humanitarian Aid in Yemen."

Drawing on his firsthand experiences as the UK ambassador to Yemen from 2015 to 2017, Brown emphasized the importance of understanding the Houthi group's true nature. He recounted two instances where Houthi leaders displayed a disturbing level of candor.

Firstly, Brown stated that the Houthis openly admitted their alliance with Saleh was purely strategic. "Once he ceases to be useful, they will eliminate him," Brown recalled. This chilling prediction tragically came true in December 2017 when Houthi forces clashed with Saleh's supporters, resulting in his brutal assassination.

Secondly, Brown claimed the Houthis expressed unwavering confidence in their victory in Yemen, believing that Western opposition, while concerned about Yemeni casualties, wouldn't intervene. "They brutally expressed that when enough Yemenis die, Western opponents will beg for peace and give them what they want," Brown revealed.

These words, he said, resonated deeply when he witnessed Houthi snipers in Aden and Taiz ruthlessly targeting civilians, including medical professionals seeking refuge in hospitals.

"The actions of the snipers were a horrific reminder of my previous conversations with the Houthis," Brown stated.

He emphasized the critical role of humanitarian aid in saving lives and assisting those in desperate need, but cautioned against overlooking the Houthis' blatant disregard for human life. "We must never forget that the Houthis are a group who openly disregard the value of human life and see the number of casualties as a means to achieve their goals," Brown warned.

He called for a significant increase in sanctions against those violating humanitarian aid and the Yemeni population as a whole, arguing that sanctions have been inadequately utilized and poorly implemented in Yemen.

Having participated in negotiations with the Houthis while striving for peace in Yemen, Brown concluded by reiterating the report's serious warnings. He described the Houthis as "not a liberation movement, but an exceptionally brutal and violent group of criminals and thieves."

Brown assumed his role as the UK ambassador to Yemen just five months after the Houthi group seized control of the Yemeni capital Sana'a in September 2014, and weeks before the launch of Operation "Decisive Storm" led by Saudi Arabia to support the Yemeni government and prevent the Houthis from taking control of the southern city of Aden.