Twin explosions tore through central Damascus on Tuesday morning, wounding at least 18 people near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during a diplomatic visit.
The French presidential palace confirmed that Macron was entirely unharmed, having already departed for the presidential palace to meet with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, when the blasts occurred.
According to a statement from the Syrian Interior Ministry reported by state media, the dual detonations were caused by crude explosive devices. One device had been concealed inside a parked car, while the second was hidden within a refuse bin near the Ministry of Tourism—roughly 125 meters from the Four Seasons Hotel.
The Interior Ministry stated that four police officers were among the 18 wounded, adding that the blasts occurred outside the designated security perimeter and "did not pose a direct threat" to the French president’s itinerary. Social media footage from the scene captured thick plumes of dark smoke rising above a major thoroughfare, with at least one vehicle engulfed in flames alongside blood-stained streets.
The Elysee Palace quickly issued a statement confirming that Macron was safe and that his schedule would proceed uninterrupted. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The violence forms a jarring backdrop to what is the first visit by a Western head of state to Damascus since al-Sharaa’s rebel coalition overthrew the decades-long autocracy of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. France has been a vocal proponent of easing heavy international economic sanctions to help the new government stabilise.
Before the blasts occurred, Syrian state television broadcast images of al-Sharaa receiving the French delegation on a red carpet at the presidential palace. Al-Sharaa, a former Islamist commander who has spent the last year rebranding as a moderate reformer, views Western diplomatic recognition as vital to legitimising his rule over a deeply fractured populace.
Following the conclusion of his meetings in Damascus, President Macron is scheduled to depart directly for Ankara, Turkey, to attend the upcoming NATO summit.