- Inspectors depart Syria on Saturday with evidence and eyewitness accounts from sites of attacks
- Obama says he is determined to hold Syria accountable
- U.S. intelligence shows al-Assad's government killed over 1,400 people with gas, Kerry says
- Britain will not go along, but Turkey and France are ready to join the United States
Is the use of chemicals a "red line"? Should the West intervene? Send us your views
(CNN) -- United Nations weapons inspectors departed Syria on Saturday carrying precious cargo -- evidence and witness accounts collected from the sites of chemical weapons attacks.
With President Barack Obama considering a limited strike on Syrian military installations, many of his allies and critics at home and abroad are beseeching him to wait for the U.N. to unpack the findings before making any decisions.
The inspectors are expected to brief Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban has said he will present the material to the U.N. Security Council, but he wants to wait until a final report is completed.
It could take as much as a week.
Obama declared himself "war-weary," but said he is determined to hold Syria accountable for the chemical attacks against its own people. The administration said it is sure he killed hundreds of civilians with poison gas in multiple attacks.
The Syrians have claimed that jihadists fighting with the rebels carried out the chemical weapons attacks on August 21 to turn global sentiments against it.
The rockets packing the chemical payloads landed in areas held by Syria's own troops, foreign minister Walid Moallem said. Why would his government gas its own soldiers? he asked rhetorically.
The opposite is true, Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday, presenting a U.S. intelligence report on the attacks. The administration declassified the findings in an effort to drum up support for a military response.
"We know rockets came only from regime-controlled areas and went only to opposition-controlled or contested neighborhoods," he said.
British intelligence had put the number of people killed in the attacks at more than 350. The U.S. report quadrupled the death toll to 1,429. Kerry said that more than 400 of them were children.
The report alleged that the attacks were planned.
"We know that for three days before the attack, the Syrian regime's chemical weapons personnel were on the ground in the area, making preparations," Kerry said. "And we know that the Syrian regime elements were told to prepare for the attack by putting on gas masks and taking precautions associated with chemical weapons."
Resistance
A year ago, the president said that such an attack by the Syrian regime would cross a "red line," which he would not tolerate, but as he mulls military options, he is facing resistance even from those close to him.
Some NATO allies want the U.N. to sign off on any military response, but Russia, which has a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, has said it will block any measure that included military force against its close ally, Syria.
Obama accused the Council of being unable to "move in the face of a clear violation of international norms." Kerry blamed this on "the guaranteed Russian obstructionism."
The Kremlin has kept up the pressure on the Obama administration not to strike on its own.
"Washington's statements threatening to apply force to Syria are unacceptable," Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement Friday.
And Obama lost any chance of military support from its chief traditional ally this week.
Britain's Parliament voted against joining a coalition, after steadfastly supporting previous campaigns.
Kerry brushed off vote, saying that the United States "makes our own decisions on our own timelines, based on our values and our interests" in deciding the proper course of action.
In Washington, questions about the veracity of the U.S. intelligence and whether the nation is headed for another long war based on false information -- like what happened in Iraq -- have emerged from both parties in Congress.
More than 160 legislators, including 63 of Obama's fellow Democrats, signed letters calling for either a vote or at least a "full debate" before any U.S. action.
Iraq
Kerry has insisted that the situation differs from Iraq, saying the intelligence community "reviewed and re-reviewed" its information "more than mindful of the Iraq experience." And he added: "We will not repeat that moment."
The president seconded that.
"I assure you nobody ends up being more war-weary than me," Obama said, adding that he was not considering any option that would entail "boots on the ground" or a long-term campaign.
He has also previously ruled out setting up a no-fly zone.
The president bemoaned international and domestic apprehensions. "A lot of people think something should be done, but nobody seems willing to do it."
"It's important for us to recognize that when over 1,000 people are killed, including hundreds of innocent children, through the use of a weapon that 98 or 99% of humanity says should not be used even in war, and there is no action, then we're sending a signal that that international norm doesn't mean much," Obama said. "And that is a danger to our national security."
Strike
Obama told reporters he had yet to make a final decision, but hinted at a military strike that sources and experts say would entail cruise missiles fired from U.S. Navy ships at Syrian command targets -- but not at any chemical weapons stockpiles.
Striking them could unleash poison gas that might kill innocent civilians.
Instead, Obama said, he and his top military and security aides were looking at a "limited, narrow act" to ensure that Syria and others know the United States and its allies won't tolerate future violations.
Despite nail biting by many in Washington, who want the president to hold off, for others his plans do not go far enough.
Veteran Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina challenged them Friday, issuing a statement that said the purpose of any U.S. military action in Syria "should not be to help the president save face."
Allies
If the administration does decide upon a military intervention, even without the UK by its side, it may not have to go it alone.
Kerry cited support from the Arab League, Turkey and France.
Later Friday, Obama spoke by phone with French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron. White House statements said in both calls, the leaders agreed the Syrian violation of chemical weapons bans cannot be tolerated, but only the statement on the call with Hollande said they agreed the Syrian regime must be held accountable.
Hollande told Le Monde newspaper that intervention should be limited and not be directed toward President Bashar al-Assad's overthrow, a position also expressed by Obama.
While the British vote was a blow to Obama's hopes of getting strong support from key NATO allies and some Arab League states, regional NATO ally Turkey on Friday backed the U.S. contention that al-Assad's regime was responsible for the chemical attack.
"The information at hand indicates that the opposition does not have these types of sophisticated weapons," said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. "From our perspective, there is no doubt that the regime is responsible."
Australia also weighed in, with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd saying the evidence against al-Assad was overwhelming and, "therefore, the focus now legitimately lies on the most appropriate from of international response."
Another ally in the strike may be the American people.
An NBC News poll conducted Wednesday and Thursday indicated that 50% of the public says the United States should not take military action against Damascus in response to the Syrian government's alleged use of chemical weapons against its own citizens, with 42% saying military action would be appropriate.
But the survey suggested that if military action would be confined to airstrikes using cruise missiles, support rises.
CNN's Chelsea J. Carter, Barbara Starr, Lesa Jansen, Ben Brumfield, Elise Labott, Nick Paton Walsh, Jim Acosta, Max Foster and Bharati Naik contributed to this report.
