He told a news conference at the Foreign Office that the US "was not going to war" with troops on the ground, but was instead planning a "very limited, very targeted, very short-term" strike.
But, conversely, he added: "Let me be clear, the United States, President Obama, myself, others, are in full agreement that the end of the conflict in Syria requires a political solution. There is no military solution, we have no illusions about that."
He again set out the evidence America claims it has that the Syrian government was behind the chemical atrocity on August 21, saying the "risk of not acting is greater than the risk of acting".
Mr Kerry stressed the importance of the "special relationship" between the US and Britain and said the two countries were "enormously tied together".
Mr Hague said the US has Britain's "full diplomatic support" and supported "mustering a strong international response" to Mr Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons that killed more than 1,400 civilians in Damascus.
It came as Mr Assad thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his support during the G20 summit last week.
This morning, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Western leaders that any military strikes would cause an "outburst of terrorism" in the region and spark a new wave of refugees.
"The possibility for a political solution remains," he said after talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Muallem, saying Damascus was still "ready for peace talks".
US politicians are set to discuss backing for military action against Syria as President Barack Obama prepares to make a series of TV appearances to push his case.
Congress will start debating the issue today and are expected to vote later this week on whether to authorise force against the Syrian regime.
While the White House believes an endorsement from the Senate could be within reach, Mr Obama faces a wall of opposition from both Republicans and from many of his Democratic allies in the House of Representatives.
The White House has refused to state whether Mr Obama, elected in 2008 promising to end foreign wars, would order a strike even if Congress votes "no".
In a determined final effort for military backing, Mr Obama is due to appear on six US TV networks today, ahead of delivering a live address to the nation on Tuesday.
Speaking in Paris at a news conference before he left for London, Mr Kerry said 12 countries were now prepared to take military action against Syria.
Those states would make their own announcements within 24 hours, he added.
He did not rule out returning to the UN Security Council to secure a Syria resolution once UN inspectors complete their report on the alleged chemical weapons attack on August 21.
French President Francois Hollande, who is increasingly under pressure to seek a UN mandate before any military intervention in Syria, suggested that he could seek a resolution at the Security Council despite previous Russian and Chinese vetos.
Meanwhile, Mr Assad denied he was behind the alleged chemical attack in an interview to US television network CBS.
CBS correspondent Charlie Rose, who interviewed Mr Assad in Damascus, said: "The most important thing, as he says, is that 'there's no evidence that I used chemical weapons against my own people'."
The Speaker of Syria's parliament, Mohammad Jihad al Laham, told Sky News that a US attack would result in the country retaliating with "all available force".
In the UK, former Defence Secretary Liam Fox told Sky's Murnaghan programme on Sunday that there was a case for another Commons vote "in the light of the wider evidence that is now available".
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