Blasts Strike Damascus amid Macron’s Visit
Explosions rocked Damascus on Tuesday as French President Emmanuel Macron met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in a landmark visit, wounding at least 18 people, according to Syrian state media.
Macron had arrived at the presidential palace for talks with al-Sharaa when the explosions struck near the Four Seasons Hotel. Syrian authorities did not immediately comment on the incident.
Syrian media reported that Macron was staying at the Four Seasons. The French presidency said he was safe and that his meeting with al-Sharaa continued as planned.
Macron is the first major Western leader to visit Syria since al-Sharaa took office. The visit comes ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye.
The French president has been a leading advocate for lifting Western sanctions on Syria, helping persuade Europe and the United States to ease most restrictions. He arrived in Damascus on Monday evening with an economic delegation and is expected to sign a series of memorandums of understanding with al-Sharaa as Syria seeks foreign investment to rebuild after 14 years of war.
State television, citing an unnamed security official, said the two explosions in central Damascus were caused by explosive devices, one hidden in a garbage bin and the other placed in a parked car.
The report said an investigation was underway and that no deaths had been immediately reported.
A large plume of smoke rose above the scene, which is on a busy street near the Tourism Ministry and the Damascus National Museum.
Videos widely shared on social media showed a van and a motorcycle on fire, with bloodstains visible on the street.
The explosions came days after a bomb detonated at a café near the Justice Palace in Damascus, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 20.
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