Explosions wound 18 in Damascus during Macron visit

Two explosions rocked central Damascus on Tuesday during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Syria, wounding at least 18 people, including four police officers, Syrian authorities said.

Macron was not hurt, and his office said the visit would continue as planned. The French president was on his way to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace when the blasts were reported, but French officials said he did not hear the explosions.

The blasts were caused by two explosive devices, a security source told the BBC. Syria’s Interior Ministry said at least 18 people were wounded, including four police officers, the state news agency SANA reported, according to Al Jazeera.

Television footage showed smoke rising over the capital. Videos and images shared on social media showed plumes of smoke and flames coming from a vehicle near a hotel. Footage verified by Al Jazeera showed a vehicle on fire, while BBC Verify said video of the blasts showed they occurred about 125 metres from the Four Seasons hotel, on the pavement of Shoukry al-Quowatly, a major thoroughfare through the capital.

An Al Jazeera correspondent said the explosions happened near the Ministry of Tourism and a hotel where Macron was meant to be staying during his visit. Authorities sealed off roads and opened an investigation.

A security official told Al Jazeera the blasts occurred in an area busy with civilians and described them as “a criminal act”.

At the presidential palace, Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto reported that the situation was “pretty calm”. Syrian state television said al-Sharaa had welcomed Macron to the palace as reports of the explosions emerged.

Ismat Al-Absi, a Damascus-based security expert, told Al Jazeera the intended targets were not immediately clear.

“We are not sure if the IEDs were targeting the French president’s convoy as he was heading to People’s Palace to meet Syrian president Ahmed Al-Sharaa,” he said. “It is clear that the aim is to create unrest and send a negative message. But let’s be clear, there is a security gap and we need to fix it … in order to prevent portraying Syria’s security situation in a negative light.”

Macron arrived in Syria on Monday evening, becoming the first European Union leader to visit the country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule, the BBC reported. He was in Damascus for talks with al-Sharaa before heading to Turkey for a NATO summit.

The blasts followed another deadly explosion in central Damascus last week. Syrian state media reported that a bomb blast at a crowded cafe killed at least nine people and injured 22 others, according to the BBC. Al Jazeera, citing Syria’s Ministry of Health, reported that at least nine people were killed and 20 others wounded in that cafe explosion.