Two explosions near the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus injured at least 18 people while French President Emmanuel Macron was making a state visit to Syria. Four police officers were among the wounded, according to Syria’s Interior Ministry. No deaths were reported in the immediate official account.
One explosive device had been placed in a rubbish container and another in a parked car, the ministry said. Images from the area showed burning vehicles, blood on a street and smoke near the Tourism Ministry and National Museum. Authorities did not publicly identify a suspect or claim of responsibility.
Macron was meeting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential palace when the blasts occurred. A French official said he was safe and that the meeting continued. The hotel area was associated with the French delegation, but the evidence did not establish whether the devices specifically targeted Macron or his party.
The attack was the second in Damascus within a week. An earlier device at a cafe near the Justice Palace killed at least 10 people and injured more than 20. Syria’s capital had been relatively calm, making the incidents a security challenge for authorities seeking to consolidate control after the fall of Bashar Assad in late 2024.
Despite the explosions, Macron and al-Sharaa announced the return of ambassadors after more than a decade. France closed its embassy in 2012 and reopened it symbolically in early 2025. The leaders described the exchange as a milestone in rebuilding formal relations.
The visit also produced more than a dozen agreements with France and French companies. Projects included restoring water and electricity systems in Homs, technical help for reforms at Syria’s central bank and improvements to cargo facilities at Damascus airport. Another arrangement began the return of about €51 million in illicit assets linked to Rifaat Assad.
Macron had supported removing many Western sanctions imposed during Assad’s rule. Syria needs extensive outside capital after a 14-year conflict killed nearly half a million people, displaced millions and left infrastructure badly damaged. The new government presents partnerships as essential to reconstruction while trying to reassure minorities and governments wary of al-Sharaa’s former leadership of an al-Qaeda-linked group.
The bombs failed to halt the presidential meeting or diplomatic announcements, but they exposed the gap between political normalisation and security on the ground. Determining who planted the devices, whether the two recent attacks were connected and how authorities protect public areas would shape confidence in Damascus’s claimed transition.
A Syrian foreign-ministry official promised that those responsible would be brought to justice and said the attack would not derail international partnerships. That assurance remained a government commitment pending arrests, evidence and a public account of the investigation.
