A pair of explosions rocked a downtown Damascus area close to the Four Seasons Hotel, where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during a state visit, Syrian state media reported Tuesday.
Eighteen people, including four police officers, were wounded by improvised explosive devices on Tuesday, according to Syria’s interior ministry, which reported the incidents via the state news agency SANA.
The ministry said both bombs detonated after security forces had located them, while preparations for their disposal were underway.
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The devices were placed in a car and a garbage bin near the hotel where Macron was lodging. It was the first state visit by a Western leader to Syria since President Ahmed al‑Sharaa assumed office in 2025.
An Élysée Palace spokesperson said Macron was not in his hotel at the time of the blasts and did not hear them. He proceeded with his schedule and met with al‑Sharaa, according to both the French office and SANA.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa at the People’s Palace in Damascus, July 7, 2026. (Reuters/Mahmoud Hassano)
Macron posted a message on X shortly after the incident, refraining from commenting directly on the blasts.
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In his post, Macron wrote: “Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria. This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage, and determination. My visit continues.”
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa greets supporters after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 10, 2025. (Reuters) – Handout via Reuters
Syria’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed the explosions, noting that both occurred outside the security perimeter assigned to the French president.
The ministry announced through SANA that the blast sites were outside the French president’s security perimeter, posing no direct threat to his residence or the official program, which continued as planned.
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An ambulance drives past the site where explosive devices blew up near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. (Reuters/Yamam Al Shaar)
Macron’s Damascus meeting was the first by a Western leader with President Ahmed al‑Sharaa since he took office in 2025. The encounter has drawn criticism from some quarters, including over former President Donald Trump’s November hospitality to al‑Sharaa, given the latter’s previous ties to the al‑Qaeda terrorist organization.
The Tuesday blasts marked the second and third major explosions in Damascus within a span of fewer than seven days.
On Monday, the French government condemned an attack on a Damascus café as a terrorist act, after an explosive device claimed at least nine lives on July 2.
Syrian authorities continue to investigate the July 2 incident and have not publicly linked it to any specific group or individual, The Washington Post reported.
Fox News Digital reached out to both the Syrian Foreign Ministry and the Élysée Palace for additional confirmation and details.
