Key takeaways:
- Macron had left the Four Seasons Hotel and was meeting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential palace when the blasts occurred.
- Syrian state media said the explosions were caused by devices placed in a garbage bin and a parked car; no group immediately claimed responsibility.
- Reports differed on casualties: CBS News cited Syrian state TV saying 18 people were wounded, while NPR reported state television said four were wounded.
Two explosions struck near the Damascus hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron had stayed, wounding people in the Syrian capital as he met Tuesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa during a landmark visit.
The French presidential palace, the Elysee, said Macron was safe and would continue his visit. He had already left the Four Seasons Hotel and was inside the Syrian presidential palace for talks with al-Sharaa and their delegations when the blasts occurred, according to the French presidency.
Syrian state television, citing an unnamed security official, said the explosions were caused by explosive devices, one placed in a garbage bin and the other in a parked car near the hotel. A source told Agence France-Presse that one bomb had been placed in a dumpster and another in a vehicle near the Four Seasons.
Reports differed on the number of wounded. CBS News reported that Syrian state TV said 18 people were wounded, including four police officers, while NPR reported that state television said four people were wounded, including several police officers. There was no immediate confirmation of casualties directly from Syrian officials, and no group immediately claimed responsibility.
A large plume of smoke rose from the site, which is in a busy part of central Damascus near the Tourism Ministry headquarters and the Damascus National Museum. Video widely circulated on social media showed burning vehicles, including a van and a motorcycle, and blood-stained streets.
Syrian authorities did not immediately comment on the incident, NPR reported. State television said an investigation was underway at the scene.
The blasts came days after an explosive device detonated in a cafe near the Justice Palace in Damascus, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 20.
Macron is the first major Western leader to visit Syria since al-Sharaa came to power. He arrived Monday night with an economic delegation and is scheduled to sign memorandums of understanding with al-Sharaa as Syria seeks investment to help rebuild after 14 years of war. Before arriving at the presidential palace, Macron met with members of Syrian civil society, though his office did not provide details on who attended, NPR reported. He is due to travel next to a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
Macron played a major role in pushing Europe and the United States to drop most sanctions on Syria, according to NPR.
Al-Sharaa came to power after leading an insurgency that ousted Bashar Assad in 2024. CBS News described him as a former Islamic extremist commander who led rebels to topple longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad less than two years ago. He has disavowed his past as an al-Qaeda-linked militant and has sought support from Western governments while promising political and economic reform.
His government has continued to fight remnants of the ISIS terror group, and the United States and Israel have continued carrying out strikes against ISIS targets in Syria, CBS News reported. NPR reported that Syria’s new rulers have faced violence involving different groups as they work to assert control, though the capital had largely remained peaceful during the turbulent period.
The war in Syria killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions, NPR reported. Much of the country’s infrastructure remains in ruins, and Syria still needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift millions out of poverty despite investment pledges from other nations and businesses.
Be First to Comment