Two explosions near a hotel in central Damascus coincide with the French president's visit

Two explosions rang out on Tuesday near a luxury hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron spent the night after arriving in Damascus, according to a security source speaking to AFP.

Despite the blasts, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa received French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace, while the French presidency confirmed that Macron was unharmed and continuing his visit.

The explosions occurred shortly before Syrian state television announced Macron’s arrival at the presidential palace for official talks with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad al-Sharaa, on the second day of his visit to Damascus. Macron is the first Western head of state to visit the Syrian capital since the overthrow of the previous regime.

The security source told AFP that “two explosions occurred in central Damascus near the Four Seasons hotel, one inside a garbage container and the other in a car,” likely caused by improvised explosive devices.

At least one explosion was heard, with its echoes reverberating across several parts of Damascus, as plumes of smoke rose from the hotel’s vicinity. Security forces closed several major roads, while sirens from ambulances and police cars wailed.

Windows of the Ministry of Tourism, which faces the hotel, were damaged by one of the blasts, amid a heavy security presence.

The second explosion occurred near Victoria Bridge in central Damascus, about 200 meters from the hotel.

For its part, the Syrian Interior Ministry stated that the blast site was outside the security perimeter of French President Emmanuel Macron’s residence.

The ministry added that the explosion did not pose any threat to Macron’s visit schedule.

The French president had delayed announcing the timing of his Damascus visit until after his plane landed on Thursday, for security reasons, following an IED blast at a café near the Justice Palace in Damascus on Thursday that killed ten people.