Hague hits back: Britian's foreign secretary says Assad is "delusional"

William Hague at the Bahrain Security Forum (Photo: Mohammed Al-Shaikh / AFP)

Britain's foreign secretary, William Hague, on Sunday dismissed Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's criticisms of Britain's attempts to arm the Syrian opposition as "delusional". 

Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show, Hague said Assad was the man presiding over the slaughter of his own people while Britain was providing humanitarian aid.

The foreign secretary went on to confirm that Britain will be announcing more non-lethal aid for the Syrian opposition later this week and may consider providing arms in the future. 

"We will have to do more to assist the opposition on the ground," he said.

Hague's comments follow Assad's interview with British newspaper, the Sunday Times, in which the embattled leader said that Britain’s support of the opposition was “shallow and immature”.

Responding to Assad's remarks, Hague said: "This will go down as one of the most delusional interviews that any national leader has given in modern times."