Syria shows its defiance; British vote down attack

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syrian President Bashar Assad said Thursday his country "will defend itself against any aggression," signaling defiance to mounting Western warnings of a possible punitive strike over a suspected poison gas attack blamed on his regime.

U.N. chemical weapons inspectors toured stricken rebel-held areas near the Syrian capital of Damascus for a third day Thursday.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron lost a vote endorsing military action against Syria by 13 votes Thursday, a stunning defeat that will almost guarantee Britain plays no direct role in any U.S. attack on Bashar Assad's government.

In Syria, amateur video posted online showed U.N. inspectors wearing gas masks walking through a damaged building. One inspector scooped pulverized debris from the ground, placed it in a glass container and wrapped the container in a plastic bag.

The inspectors' departure from Syria on Saturday could clear the path for possible military action against the Assad regime.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged Western powers to hold off on any decisions until his experts can present their findings to U.N. member states and the Security Council.

The suspected chemical weapons attacks took place Aug. 21 in suburbs east and west of Damascus. The humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders has said the strikes killed 355 people.

President Barack Obama said he has not decided how the U.S. will respond. However, he signaled Wednesday the U.S. is moving toward a punitive strike, saying he has "concluded" that Assad's regime is behind the attacks and that there "need to be international consequences."

The U.S. has not presented proof in public.

In London, a grim-faced Cameron conceded after the vote "the British Parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action."

The prime minister said that while he still believed in a "tough response" to the alleged use of chemical weapons by Assad's regime, he would respect the will of Parliament.

Responding to the vote, the White House said a decision on a possible military strike against Syria will be guided by America's best interests, suggesting the U.S. may act alone if other nations won't help.