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Blasts During Macron Visit
Two bomb explosions injured 18 people in central Damascus during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, the Syrian government said.
“Explosions have been heard in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in what security experts believe may have been an attack against French President Emmanuel Macron and his delegation as he makes a landmark visit to the city”
The blasts happened near the Four Seasons hotel, where Macron spent the night and met civil society groups on Tuesday morning, and the Syrian interior ministry said security forces detected two explosive devices in a parked car and a bin.
BBC reported that one video posted on social media showed security forces and first responders standing near a burning vehicle on a major thoroughfare, close to the ministry of tourism's headquarters, before a second explosion occurred a few metres away.
French officials said Macron was safe and did not hear the explosions, and shortly afterwards he held talks with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the presidential palace.
The Syrian interior ministry said four police officers were among the injured, and it said the explosive devices were planted minutes before the blasts just outside the security perimeter designated for Macron's accommodation.
Officials, Witnesses, and Claims
Macron’s office and French officials said he was unharmed and did not hear the blasts, while Syrian state media said Sharaa welcomed Macron to the presidential palace.
Syrian interior ministry spokesman Nour al-Din al-Baba told reporters that the explosive devices were planted minutes before the blasts just outside the security perimeter designated for Macron's accommodation, and the ministry said an initial lead pointing to those who are responsible had been discovered.
An eyewitness told BBC Arabic's Middle East Daily that they were standing in front of the ministry of tourism when the first explosion occurred, and said that while security forces searched for suspicious objects after the first bomb detonated, "a second explosion occurred approximately 20m from the site of the first blast".
The same eyewitness said, "The first explosion caused material damage but no casualties," while "The second explosion, however, caused injuries to several members of the public security forces and the traffic police," and BBC reported that the interior ministry said four police officers were among the injured.
CNN reported that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa warned those involved in the attack "will be arrested as soon as possible," and said Macron was unharmed and already at the Presidential Palace when the explosions occurred.
Diplomacy, Security Stakes
The explosions came as Macron continued his scheduled diplomatic programme in Damascus, meeting Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace shortly after the blasts, with French officials saying Macron was safe and would continue his visit.
“Bomb explosions injure 18 in Damascus during Macron's visit Eighteen people have been injured by two bomb explosions in central Damascus during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, the Syrian government has said”
Macron told a joint news conference with Sharaa that people "must at once stand alongside those who have been injured [by the bombings], continue to be uncompromising on security… but not let ourselves be destabilised," and Sharaa praised Macron's "courage" for continuing his visit.
The incident was framed by Reuters and other outlets as underscoring the major security challenges authorities in Syria continue to face, even as Macron’s trip underlined Syria's return to the global stage 19 months after Sharaa's Islamist group led the rebel offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
CNN reported that Macron was the first Western leader to make an official visit to Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, and that foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan condemned the attack.
DW reported that after formal talks the two sides held a forum dedicated to "rebuilding Syria and strategic corridors" and that the two presidents signed 15 agreements in fields including civil aviation, health, the banking sector, water infrastructure and roads, while Macron later announced that his country would return more than €50 million seized from the Assad family.
