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Bombs hit Macron visit
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Syria on Monday for what Deseret News described as the country’s first visit from a major Western leader since its regime change in December 2024, and his Damascus trip was met with attacks when two bombs exploded and injured 18 people.
“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 occurred near the downtown Four Seasons hotel where Macron was staying, and Syria’s interior ministry reported that the improvised explosive devices detonated after security forces had discovered them while preparations for the disposal operation were underway.
SANA reported that authorities had found two explosives and were working to defuse them when they exploded, with one bomb placed inside a vehicle and another hidden inside a garbage can.
Macron was not near the bombs when they were detonated, and Élysée Palace said he was not in his hotel during the explosions and didn’t even hear them.
Officials stress perimeter
Syria’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed the explosions but stressed that they were outside the security perimeter designated for Macron, announcing through SANA that "It posed no direct threat to the residence or the official visit program, which is proceeding as planned," while the French presidency said Macron continued his visit with al-Sharaa.
Macron posted on X after the incident, writing, "Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria," and CBS News reported he would continue his visit after two bombs exploded outside the hotel where he spent the night.
The Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al‑Din al‑Baba told reporters that preliminary findings indicate the explosive devices were planted only minutes before detonation, and he said the explosions occurred at the edge of the perimeter and failed to breach it.
AP reported that no group immediately claimed responsibility, and it described the explosions as the second attack in Damascus in a week and a setback for President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he welcomed the first major Western leader to visit since Bashar Assad was ousted in late 2024.
Diplomatic ties proceed
The explosions came as Macron met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus, and Le Monde reported that the French president and Sharaa maintained their scheduled joint press conference just hours after the blast while the Elysée Palace said his visit is ongoing.
“Damascus — France's President Emmanuel Macron escaped what may have been an attempted assassination Tuesday during a visit to Syria's capital”
Le Monde also reported that the pair announced an agreement to reopen the French embassy in Damascus, and Sharaa said, "I am pleased to announce today our agreement to begin the process of exchanging resident ambassadors between Damascus and Paris as soon as possible," as the declaration of intent said the two nations would begin returning €51 million from Rifaat al-Assad’s ill-gotten gains.
SANA’s Nour al‑Din al‑Baba said the attack was intended to undermine Syrian‑French relations and negatively affect the French visit, and he added that the political objective of the attack had failed and the visit would proceed as scheduled.
In parallel, Times Union said the explosions were a challenge for al-Sharaa as he pushed to assert full control over Syria and win support from Western governments concerned about his past leadership of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, while the AP account said the meeting and agreements aimed at rebuilding continued.
