Explosions rock Damascus during Macron's landmark visit to Syria

At least two explosions struck central Damascus as Emmanuel Macron met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, injuring at least 18 people and turning a landmark diplomatic visit into a stark reminder of how unstable the capital remains. Syrian state media said the blasts happened near the Ministry of Tourism building and close to the Four Seasons Hotel, while Syrian state television said al-Sharaa had welcomed Macron at the presidential palace.

The timing carried heavy diplomatic symbolism. Macron was the first major Western leader to visit Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled in 2024, and the first head of state from a European Union country to do so since Assad’s fall. As France pushes to rebuild ties with Syria’s new leadership, the blasts suggested that any talk of normalization still rests on a fragile security environment in which even a high-profile foreign visit can be jolted by violence.

Syrian state media said the injured included four security personnel and four police officers. Footage from the scene showed smoke and flames rising from a vehicle area near the hotel, and the blasts were reported about 125 meters from the Four Seasons. The location, in a central district that normally carries the symbolism of state authority and international access, made the explosions read as more than a routine security incident.

The Elysee Palace said Macron did not hear any explosions while he was on his way to the meeting, and officials said the visit continued as planned. That decision to proceed mattered in its own right. France did not visibly recoil from the attack scene, even as the blasts exposed the gap between the new government’s diplomatic outreach and its ability to guarantee order in the heart of Damascus.

For Macron, the trip was meant to signal cautious engagement with Syria’s new rulers. Instead, the explosions underlined the risks that come with that bet: foreign leaders can arrive, shake hands and reopen channels, but the test of whether Syria is truly stabilizing is whether the capital can remain secure while they are there. The blasts in Damascus suggested that message, whether intended or not, was aimed as much at foreign capitals as at the streets around the presidential palace.