At least 18 injured in Damascus bomb blast near Macron's hotel

Two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron had spent the night, but his office said he did not hear the explosions and was on his way to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the time. 

State TV reported that al-Sharaa received Macron at the Presidential Palace, after the blasts.

A total of 18 people were injured in the blasts, including four police officers, according to the Syrian state news agency. 

The explosions struck a busy area between the Syrian Tourism Ministry and the National Museum, across the street from the Four Seasons Hotel where Macron had stayed. 

In a post on X, Macron said his visit to Syria continues despite the blast.

"Nothing can undermine the desire of Syrians to live in a fully sovereign and secure Syria," he posted. "This morning I met Syria in all its diversity, and I saw dignity, courage and determination."

The first blast hit soon after Macron's motorcade left for the presidential palace. Reuters footage showed flames and smoke billowing from the site, when a second explosion was caught on camera a few metres away.

The second blast went off next to an ambulance parked at the scene, where some two dozen people had gathered. Emergency personnel worked to extinguish the blaze, with smoke and flames close to the shops behind.

Roads were sealed off and security measures were implemented after the blast.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Macron is the first major EU leader to visit the Syrian capital Damascus since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December 2024.

Sharaa, a former al Qaeda Commander, has been working to stabilise and rebuild Syria since leading rebel forces that toppled Assad after more than 13 years of civil war, building close ties to Western and Middle Eastern states that opposed Assad.

Islamic State, an adversary of Sharaa during the civil war, has claimed a series of attacks on government forces in Syria since February, when the jihadist group announced what it described as a new phase of operations against his government.

In mid-June, the group claimed responsibility for killing two Syrian soldiers in the northern provine of Aleppo.

In the same week, the group said it was behind an attack on a police command headquaters in the city of Raqqa in northern Syria, which killed one person and injured three others.

The Syrian Interior Ministry said internal security forces have launched search operations to identify those responsible.

Last week, a bomb at a Damascus cafe killed nine people and wounded 20 others. There was no claim of responsibility.

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