Explosions Injure 18 In Damascus During Macron’s Visit To Syria

Eighteen people were injured after explosive devices detonated in central Damascus, according to Syrian state media, reportedly close to the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron had been staying during his visit to the country.

Syrian state news agency Sana said security forces had detected two devices, which exploded as specialized units attempted to defuse them. One device had been hidden inside a parked vehicle, while the other was concealed in a bin. Four police officers were among those injured, and Syria’s interior ministry has opened an investigation into those responsible.

Macron was meeting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace when the blasts occurred. His officials confirmed he was safe and did not hear the explosions. He is set to travel on to Turkey for the NATO summit following his time in Syria.

Footage shared on social media Tuesday morning showed smoke and flames rising from a vehicle near a hotel in the capital. One eyewitness told BBC Arabic they had been standing near the tourism ministry headquarters when the first blast occurred, causing damage but no injuries. As security forces searched the area for further explosives, a second blast went off roughly 20 meters away, this time injuring several members of the public security and traffic police. BBC Verify placed the explosions approximately 125 meters from the Four Seasons hotel, along one of Damascus’s major roads.

Syrian state television reported that al-Sharaa had welcomed Macron to the presidential palace around the same time news of the explosions emerged. Writing on social media afterward, Macron said nothing could extinguish Syrians’ hopes for a sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united country, adding that his visit would continue.

Macron arrived in Syria on Monday evening, becoming the first EU leader to visit since al-Sharaa took power following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024 — a visit seen as symbolic of Syria’s reemergence onto the world stage after years of isolation. Al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander from Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority, has pledged to unite the country following decades of Assad family rule and a brutal 13-year civil war.

The Damascus blasts highlight the serious security challenges still facing Syria’s new leadership, including a wave of attacks on government targets claimed by the Islamic State group in recent months. Pro-government forces have also been implicated in deadly violence against religious and ethnic minority communities last year. Just days earlier, a bombing at a busy Damascus café killed at least nine people and injured 22 others.

Beyond security, Macron’s visit is also centered on Syria’s fragile economic situation, with reconstruction expected to be a key focus of talks.