Twin blasts rock Damascus during Macron's Syria visit

French President Emmanuel Macron meets Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa at the People's Palace in Damascus. (Photo/AA)

Two explosions hit central Damascus on Tuesday, wounding at least 18 people, including four police officers, Syrian state news agency said, as French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa in the capital.

Syria's interior ministry said the blasts were caused by two improvised devices, the first planted inside a car parked on the roadside near the Tourism Ministry, and the second placed inside a rubbish container.

Local sources told Anadolu Agency that the bombs were fitted to a minibus and a bin on one of Damascus's busiest streets, close to the hotel where Macron is staying during his visit. The explosions occured while Macron was meeting al Sharaa at the Presidential Palace, according to the sources.

The French Presidency said Macron remained safe and was continuing his visit despite the blasts. Alikhbariah TV aired footage of the French president alongside al Sharaa at the palace following the explosions, with the two leaders expected to attend a ceremony to sign several bilateral agreements.

Tuesday’s attack follows a July 2 bombing near the Justice Palace on the road leading to Damascus’s Hamidiyah Souq, where a café was targeted, killing 10 people and wounding 21.

Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday, marking the first visit by an EU country’s leader to Syria since the ouster of the Bashar al Assad regime in December 2024. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Damascus earlier this year.

The visit builds on growing engagement between Paris and Damascus since al Sharaa's trip to France in May 2025, his first visit to a Western country since taking office. Macron has since pressed European and US leaders to lift sanctions on Syria, most of which have been removed.

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Source: TRT