DAMASCUS: On Tuesday, two bombs detonated close to a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron spent the night, injuring eighteen people and overshadowing Macron’s first visit to Syria as head of state of the European Union since the overthrow of Bashar Assad. Macron continued his visit, seeing President Ahmed Al-Sharaa at the presidential palace after his convoy departed the hotel just prior to the explosions. According to his staff, he did not hear the explosions.
The attack highlighted the ongoing security issues Sharaa faces as he works to reconstruct a nation devastated by 13 years of civil war and has developed strong ties with Western nations. The explosions occurred in a busy part of Damascus between the national museum and the Tourism Ministry, which is across the street from the Four Seasons hotel. According to Syrian security sources and a source in Macron’s delegation, Macron spent the night there and met civil society organizations on Tuesday morning.
Shortly after the explosions, Macron posted on X that his visit was still ongoing and commended the “dignity, courage, and determination” of the Syrians he had encountered.
Later, during a press conference with Sharaa, Macron stated, “We are not naive about the risks, but they are being managed.” He went on to say that “some groups” attempted to stop “Syria’s full and complete reintegration into the international community.”
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