Damascus was shaken by two explosions near the central Four Seasons hotel, where French President Emmanuel Macron was lodging during his state visit, Syrian state media disclosed on Tuesday.
The blasts, attributed to improvised explosive devices (IEDs), left eighteen individuals injured, including four police officers, as reported by Syria’s interior ministry via state news agency SANA.
The ministry explained that the detonation of both devices occurred after security forces located them and were in the process of preparing for their safe disposal.
The explosives had been concealed within a vehicle and a trash bin in proximity to the hotel where Macron was residing during his trip—the first official visit by a Western leader to Syria since President Ahmed al-Sharaa replaced the ousted Bashar al-Assad in 2025.
A spokesperson from Élysée Palace confirmed that Macron was away from the hotel at the time of the explosions and did not hear them. His visit with al-Sharaa proceeded as planned, according to statements from both Élysée Palace and SANA.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. (REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano)
While not commenting on the explosions directly, Macron posted a statement on X shortly after the incident.
“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,” he wrote.
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa greets supporters after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., NOV. 10, 2025. (Lubna Allababidi/Handout via REUTERS)
Syria’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed the explosions but stressed that they were outside the security perimeter designated for Macron.
“We confirm that the explosion site is outside the security perimeter designated for the French president’s residence. It posed no direct threat to the residence or the official visit program, which is proceeding as planned,” the ministry announced through SANA.
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 is the first Western leader to meet with al-Sharaa in Damascus since he became the country’s president in 2025. Some have criticized Western leaders, including President Donald Trump, who hosted al-Sharaa in the White House in November, for normalizing relations with al-Sharaa given his past as a fighter for the al Qaeda terrorist group.
Tuesday’s explosions in Damascus were also the second and third major blasts in Damascus in less than a week.
On Monday, France’s government condemned what it called a “terrorist attack” after an explosive device killed at least nine people in a Damascus cafe on July 2.
Syrian authorities are still investigating the attack and have not publicly ascribed it to any group or individual, according to The Washington Post.
News Media contacted the Syrian Foreign Ministry and Élysée Palace for confirmation and further details.