Blasts were heard in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Tuesday after explosive devices detonated near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, a security source said.
According to the sources, the explosions are believed to have been caused by an explosive device planted on a vehicle near the French president’s hotel.
The explosions struck a busy area between the Syrian tourism ministry and the national museum across the street from the Four Seasons, where Macron was meeting civil society groups.
Syria’s state news agency reported that 18 people were injured in the explosions, including four police officers.
The first blast hit soon after Macron’s motorcade left for the presidential palace. Reuters footage showed flames and smoke billowing from a trash can when a second explosion was caught on camera a few meters (yards) away.
مشاهد من لحظة حدوث الانفجار الثاني جراء عبوات ناسفة بدمشق https://t.co/HxJvWQoz0U pic.twitter.com/ajcjiyR8gd
— Omar Alhariri (@omar_alharir) July 7, 2026
The second blast went off next to an ambulance parked at the scene, where some two dozen people had gathered.
Flames and thick black smoke billowed near the shops behind, as emergency personnel worked to put out the blaze.
“Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria,” Macron said in his first X/Twitter statement following the attack.
“This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage, and determination. My visit continues,” he added.
Rien ne pourra étouffer l’aspiration des Syriennes et des Syriens à vivre dans une Syrie pleinement souveraine, sûre, pluraliste, unie.
Ce matin j’ai rencontré la Syrie dans toute sa diversité. J’ai vu la dignité, le courage et la détermination.
Ma visite se poursuit.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 7, 2026
The Elysee Palace said in a statement that Macron didn’t hear the explosion and that he was on his way to meet with the Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the time of the incident.
Macron’s office also said that the French president’s schedule remained unchanged, with no adjustments made to the meetings programmed for the day.
Macron becomes first EU leader to visit al-Sharaa’s Syria
Macron’s visit is the first one by a European Union head of state to Damascus since rebels led by Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
“I am here to affirm France’s commitment to the Syrian people. For a sovereign Syria, united in its diversity and at peace with its neighbors. Together, let’s open a new page of stability and peace,” Macron said on X/Twitter.
Syria’s reconstruction is set to be one of the key themes of the trip, and Macron will be accompanied by business leaders including the CEOs of TotalEnergies and French container shipping group CMA CGM, a French presidential official told reporters ahead of the visit.
Macron’s trip has highlighted Syria’s geopolitical transformation under Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who has established close ties with Western and Middle Eastern powers that shunned Assad, as he seeks to rebuild a country shattered by 13 years of war.
During the Syrian conflict, a range of militant groups, including Islamic State, gained a foothold in the country.
Sharaa, a member of Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority, has pledged to build an inclusive new order in Syria since ending more than five decades of iron-fisted rule by the Assad family. But his promise has been tested by bouts of violence pitting pro-government forces against members of religious and ethnic minority groups, with many hundreds killed last year.
Previous explosion left ten dead, 21 wounded
A previous explosion reported on Thursday killed ten people, the Syrian Health Ministry announced on Friday, the state-owned Syrian News Channel said.
Further, 21 people were injured during the incident, said the channel.
Syrian state TV said a bomb had been planted at the cafe, which is near the Palace of Justice in the center of Syria’s capital. There were no further details on the apparent attack, and no immediate claim of responsibility.
The Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
