According to French and Syrian media, an explosion occurred on Tuesday near the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus, where French President Emmanuel Macron was spending the night before meeting with the Syrian president.
The Elysée Palace said Macron was not injured and was already in the presidential palace when the explosion occurred. French CNN affiliate BFMTV reported that he was staying at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Two separate explosions were reported in Damascus, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). The incident occurred as security personnel were attempting to dismantle two explosive devices discovered during field work, officials added. At least 18 people were injured, including four police officers, SANA said.
One explosion occurred next to the Four Seasons Hotel in the center of the capital, and another near the nearby Ministry of Tourism, a Syrian official told CNN on condition of anonymity. The hotel is regularly used by international visitors to Syria, including diplomats, NGO workers and journalists.
Citing Syria’s Interior Ministry, SANA reported that the explosion site was “outside the security perimeter” designated as President Macron’s official residence.
Both explosives were made using “primitive methods”, SANA said. The first device was placed inside a vehicle parked on the side of the road, and the second inside a trash can, the news agency said.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of the attack and identify those responsible, SANA added.
According to SANA, President Macron arrived in Syria on Monday night local time and met with the country’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the first official visit by a Western leader to the country since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. He is the third head of state to visit Syria during the same period, following Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who visited in January. 2025 and April of this year, respectively.
The twin explosions early Tuesday morning came less than a week after another attack in the Syrian capital killed nine people and injured 22 others, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health.
