18 injured as bomb explodes in Damascus during Macron’s visit

Two bombs went off close to a luxury hotel in the capital of Syria on Tuesday, injuring 18 people and putting a damper on the historic visit to Syria by French President Emmanuel Macron, who is the first leader from the European Union to visit Syria since the ousting of the country’s former president, Bashar al-Assad.

The attacks came right after Macron left the Four Seasons Hotel after spending one night there and meeting Syrian civil society members. However, Macron pressed ahead with his plans, including a discussion of affairs with President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the presidential palace.

According to Macron’s press office, the French president was unaware of the explosions and investigations are ongoing on the part of the Syrians regarding the attack, with no group stepping up and claiming responsibility for it.

The bombings took place in a crowded area between the Ministry of Tourism and the National Museum of Syria, illustrating the dangerous security environment that is still in Syria’s way.

President Sharaa, who used to be an al Qaeda commander, has been working on stabilizing Syria and rebuilding it after more than a decade of civil unrest.

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.

France is currently represented in Syria by a charge d’affaires who is not fully present in Damascus. Macron said both countries would appoint ambassadors, whom Sharaa said would be exchanged as soon as possible.