DAMASCUS, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) — The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the British government is directly responsible for the bloodshed in Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

In a statement, the ministry said recent remarks by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on the situation in Syria reflects his "detachment from reality" and his government's "persistence and engagement in the aggression against Syria."

The Foreign Ministry statement was referring to an article Wednesday by Johnson, who said Russia should halt its backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, describing the Syrian leader as a "killing machine."

The Syrian ministry said Britain has a history of aggression against other peoples in the region and that the Syrian people will not allow Johnson or his peers to intervene in Syria's internal affairs.