Bomb Attack Rocks Damascus During Macron Visit, 18 Injured

Two bombs exploded near a luxury hotel in Damascus on Tuesday, injuring 18 people and casting a shadow over French President Emmanuel Macron’s historic visit to Syria—the first by a European Union head of state since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.

The explosions occurred shortly after Macron’s motorcade departed the Four Seasons Hotel, where he had spent the night and met with Syrian civil society representatives. Despite the attack, Macron continued with his scheduled engagements, including talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace.

Macron’s office said the French leader did not hear the blasts, while Syrian authorities launched investigations into the attack. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

The explosions struck a busy district between the Ministry of Tourism and the National Museum, highlighting the fragile security situation that continues to confront Syria’s new leadership.

President Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who has cultivated closer ties with Western governments, has sought to stabilise and rebuild Syria after more than a decade of civil war. Tuesday’s bombing underscored the security threats that remain despite efforts to restore normalcy.

In a post on X shortly after the explosions, Macron said his visit would continue and praised the “dignity, courage and determination” of the Syrian people.

Speaking later alongside Sharaa, the French president acknowledged the security risks but insisted they were being managed.

“We are not naive about the risks, but they are being managed,” Macron said, adding that “certain groups” were attempting to prevent Syria’s full reintegration into the international community.

Macron also disclosed that France was reviewing future security and military cooperation with Syria, including the possible deployment of French special forces to support operations against the Islamic State group, which has claimed several attacks on Syrian forces this year.

Beyond security, the French leader reaffirmed France’s commitment to supporting Syria’s economic recovery. Macron, who has championed the easing of Western sanctions on Syria, arrived with a delegation of French business executives, including the chief executives of TotalEnergies and shipping giant CMA CGM.

He said France was prepared to assist in rebuilding Syria’s economy, banking system and critical infrastructure as the country seeks to recover from years of conflict.

The second blast went off next to an ambulance parked at the scene, where some two dozen people had gathered.

Islamic State, an adversary of Sharaa during the civil war, declared a new phase of operations against his government in February.

Aron Lund of the Century International think-tank said such attacks could dent confidence in Syria’s recovery, but they posed no threat to government control over the country.

“It’s a worrying phenomenon, but I don’t think we should overstate it. It’s been 1-1/2 years and Islamic State hasn’t re-emerged in the way many ⁠feared,” he said.

The Syrian Interior Ministry said security forces had identified the bombs and were preparing to defuse them when they exploded.

The bombs — one of them placed in a car parked on the roadside and the other in a trash can — were planted outside a security cordon around Macron’s place of residence, and posed no threat to his visit, the ministry said.

Internal security forces have launched search operations to identify those responsible, it said.

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 them.

Last week, a bomb at a Damascus cafe killed nine people and wounded 20 others. There was no claim of responsibility.

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, opens new tab pitting pro-government forces against members of religious and ethnic minority groups, with many hundreds killed last year.