DAMASCUS — Two bombs exploded near the hotel in Damascus where Emmanuel Macron held meetings on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported. The Elysee Palace has said Macron is safe after the explosions near the hotel he was staying at in central Damascus.It said the French president did not hear the explosions and he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa soon afterward.Internal security forces have launched search operations to identify those responsible, Syria’s state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV cited a security source as saying. Roads were sealed off and security measures were implemented after the blasts, a security source told Reuters.The blasts underscore the major security challenges in Syria, where Macron is the first head of state of a major European Union country to visit since rebels led by Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad in 2024.A security source told the BBC the blasts were caused by two explosive devices and that several people have been wounded. Syrian media said 18 people, including four police officers, were injured.Macron is in Damascus for talks with his Syrian counterpart at the presidential palace.After travelling to Syria, Macron is set to head to Turkey for the Nato summit. The visit “continues as planned”, according to the Elysee Palace.After reports of the explosion in the city, videos and images on social media showed plumes of smoke and flames rising from a vehicle near a hotel in the Syrian capital.As those reports came in, Syrian state television said that al-Sharaa had welcomed Macron to the presidential palace.The explosions happened approximately 125 meters from the Four Seasons hotel, on the pavement of Shoukry al-Quowatly, a major thoroughfare running through the capital, according to BBC Verify, which analyzed video footage of the blasts.The French Presidency said the blasts were not audible from the presidential motorcade and a Reuters journalist with the press group accompanying Macron did not hear the blast or see any commotion during the French president’s morning events.DAMASCUS — Two bombs exploded near the hotel in Damascus where Emmanuel Macron held meetings on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported. The Elysee Palace has said Macron is safe after the explosions near the hotel he was staying at in central Damascus.It said the French president did not hear the explosions and he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa soon afterward.Internal security forces have launched search operations to identify those responsible, Syria’s state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV cited a security source as saying. Roads were sealed off and security measures were implemented after the blasts, a security source told Reuters.The blasts underscore the major security challenges in Syria, where Macron is the first head of state of a major European Union country to visit since rebels led by Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad in 2024.A security source told the BBC the blasts were caused by two explosive devices and that several people have been wounded. Syrian media said 18 people, including four police officers, were injured.Macron is in Damascus for talks with his Syrian counterpart at the presidential palace.After travelling to Syria, Macron is set to head to Turkey for the Nato summit. The visit “continues as planned”, according to the Elysee Palace.After reports of the explosion in the city, videos and images on social media showed plumes of smoke and flames rising from a vehicle near a hotel in the Syrian capital.As those reports came in, Syrian state television said that al-Sharaa had welcomed Macron to the presidential palace.The explosions happened approximately 125 meters from the Four Seasons hotel, on the pavement of Shoukry al-Quowatly, a major thoroughfare running through the capital, according to BBC Verify, which analyzed video footage of the blasts.The French Presidency said the blasts were not audible from the presidential motorcade and a Reuters journalist with the press group accompanying Macron did not hear the blast or see any commotion during the French president’s morning events.
Explosions rock Syrian capital during French president's visit
