Explosions in Central Damascus During Macron's Visit to Syria
Two improvised explosive devices detonated in central Damascus near the Four Seasons Hotel on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, wounding at least 18 people, including four police officers. The blasts occurred moments before French President Emmanuel Macron — the first Western leader to visit Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024 — arrived at the presidential palace to meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa; Macron had already left the hotel and his visit continued.
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The report
Two explosions rocked central Damascus near the Four Seasons Hotel on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, wounding at least 18 people, including four police officers, according to Syrian authorities. The Syrian interior ministry identified the devices as improvised explosive devices — one placed inside a parked car and one inside a garbage container. The ministry stated that the devices exploded while preparations were underway to dismantle them.
The blasts occurred moments before Syrian state television announced Emmanuel Macron's arrival at the presidential palace for a meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Macron had left the Four Seasons Hotel before the explosions took place and was not harmed. The explosions were not heard by the French presidential convoy, according to AFP journalists traveling with it. The Élysée Palace stated that Macron's visit to Syria was ongoing despite the explosions.
Emmanuel Macron is the first Western leader to visit Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. Macron met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential palace during the visit, which proceeded as scheduled.
The explosions occurred in a city that had experienced recent violence. A bombing at a Damascus café killed 10 people on the Thursday preceding Macron's visit, making the July 7 explosions the second bombing incident within that period.
Center and left-leaning outlets provided detailed accounts of the explosion locations and Macron's schedule. These sources reported that the second explosion occurred near Victoria Bridge in central Damascus, approximately 200 metres from the Four Seasons Hotel. They also noted that Macron had held a meeting with civil society representatives at the Four Seasons Hotel on Tuesday morning before the blasts.
Euronews alone reported that Macron postponed announcing the date of his Damascus visit until his plane had landed on Monday, citing security reasons. The outlet also reported that hotel security took precautionary measures after the blasts and asked those who had met with Macron to move to the hotel's parking garage.
What the coverage shows
Background
- Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for decades, fell from power in 2024 and was replaced by a new government led by Ahmad al-Sharaa (also referred to as Ahmed al-Sharaa), marking a major political transition in Syria.
- Syria has experienced ongoing security instability following Assad's fall. A café bombing killed 10 people in Damascus just days before Macron's visit, illustrating the volatile security environment.
- Macron's visit was the first by a Western head of state to Syria since Assad's removal, signalling a potential shift in Western engagement with the new Syrian government.
- The Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus served as Macron's base during the visit, where he held meetings with civil society representatives before travelling to the presidential palace.
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