Two bomb blasts tore through the heart of Damascus on Tuesday while French President Emmanuel Macron was in the Syrian capital on an official visit, leaving eighteen people injured, the Syrian government said. The explosions went off close to the Four Seasons hotel, where Macron had spent the previous night and was scheduled to meet civil society groups that morning, turning what was billed as a historic diplomatic trip into a moment of high tension. The blasts landed at a delicate time for Syria's post Assad authorities, who have spent months trying to convince foreign governments and investors that the country is stable enough to host large scale diplomatic and business engagement, and the disruption came in full view of the international media travelling with the French delegation.
Two devices, one in a car, one in a bin
Syria's interior ministry said security forces had already located two explosive devices before they went off, one concealed inside a parked car and the other placed in a rubbish bin. Both detonated as bomb disposal specialists were in the process of trying to defuse them. The account of how the operation unfolded was carried by the state news agency Sana, which cited the interior ministry directly.
Footage that began circulating on social media on Tuesday morning showed security personnel and emergency responders clustered around a burning vehicle on one of the capital's busiest roads, close to the headquarters of the ministry of tourism. The same video then captured a second explosion going off only a few metres further along. A geolocation analysis placed the site of the blasts at approximately 125 metres, or 410 feet, from the Four Seasons hotel where Macron had been staying.
Eyewitness recalls chaos as searches were under way
One eyewitness said they had been standing directly outside the ministry of tourism building when the first blast occurred. As security forces fanned out to search for any other suspicious objects in the area, a second explosion went off roughly 20 metres from where the first bomb had detonated. According to the witness, the first blast caused only material damage and no casualties, but the second one injured several members of the public security forces and the traffic police who were working the scene. The interior ministry later confirmed that four police officers were among those hurt in the attack.
Ministry spokesman Nour al-Din al-Baba told reporters that the explosive devices appeared to have been planted only minutes before they exploded, and that the spot chosen was just outside the security perimeter that had been drawn up around Macron's accommodation for the visit.
No claim of responsibility yet, but officials cite a lead
As of the time officials briefed journalists, no group had come forward to claim responsibility for the bombings. However, the interior ministry spokesman said investigators had already uncovered an initial lead pointing to those who are responsible, suggesting the search for suspects was already under way even as the smoke cleared.
The attack has underscored how precarious security still is in Syria, even as the new authorities try to project an image of stability capable of hosting high-profile foreign guests. It also cast a shadow over what was otherwise being treated as a milestone, since Macron's trip is the first visit to Syria by a European Union leader since the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. The timing, so close to a visiting head of state's own hotel, has raised fresh questions about how thoroughly Syrian security services can secure the capital even when they know in advance that a high value visitor is on the ground.
Macron unhurt, talks with Sharaa go ahead as planned
French officials said Macron remained safe throughout and did not even hear the blasts as he travelled to his next appointment. Shortly afterwards, he sat down for talks with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the presidential palace. In fact, Syrian state television reported that Sharaa had already welcomed Macron to the palace even as news of the explosions was still emerging, a sign of how little the schedule was disrupted despite an attack that had happened just streets away from where he was staying.
My visit continues, Macron declares
Writing on social media after the blasts, Macron said: "Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria." He went on to add: "This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage, and determination. My visit continues."
Later, speaking alongside Sharaa at a joint news conference, Macron struck a similar tone, saying people "must at once stand alongside those who have been injured [by the bombings], continue to be uncompromising on security... but not let ourselves be destabilised." Sharaa, in turn, praised Macron's "courage" for pressing ahead with the visit instead of cutting it short and returning home early.
Business deals and reconstruction dominate the wider agenda
Security was far from the only subject on the table during the trip. Beyond responding to the blasts, Macron's visit had been built around Syria's difficult economic situation, with the country's reconstruction expected to be one of its central themes throughout the schedule. He was accompanied by a delegation of French business leaders and took part in an economic forum at which fifteen bilateral agreements were signed, spanning sectors including civil aviation, health and banking. The presence of that business delegation was itself meant to signal that French companies see an opening in Syria's reconstruction effort even as security risks persist.
A country trying to re-enter the international fold
The trip carries symbolic weight because it underlines Syria's attempt to return to the global stage, coming nineteen months after Sharaa's Islamist group led the rebel offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda commander from Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, and he has repeatedly pledged to unify a country left deeply divided after five decades of repressive rule by the Assad family, followed by a civil war that stretched on for 13 years.
Armed groups remain a persistent threat
Even as Sharaa works to present a united and stable Syria to the world, his government continues to grapple with security threats from multiple armed factions. Among them is the jihadist group Islamic State, which has claimed a series of attacks in recent months. Separately, pro-government forces have themselves been linked to violence against religious and ethnic minority communities, violence that killed hundreds of people last year. Tuesday's twin explosions, arriving in the middle of a closely watched foreign visit, served as a stark reminder of how much work remains before Syria's new leadership can deliver on the stability it is promising both its own citizens and the international partners it is now trying to court.
