Damascus Blasts Wound 18 During Macron Visit; French President Safe
Two explosions rocked Damascus on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, near the Four Seasons Hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying, wounding at least 18 people, according to Syrian state media. The blasts occurred on the second day of Mr. Macron’s visit, the first by a Western European leader since the fall of the previous regime.
AFP journalists reported hearing at least one blast and seeing a plume of smoke near the hotel. Security forces closed roads and ambulances rushed to the scene. A Syrian security source stated that one bomb was placed in a dumpster and the other in a vehicle near the hotel.
Among the wounded were four police officers, Syrian state media said. An AFP photographer near the tourism ministry, opposite the hotel, observed windows damaged by one explosion amid a heavy security presence.
“I saw three traffic police officers injured on the ground, before the area was evacuated and the roads leading to it were closed,” said Hamam Hammoud, a 37-year-old employee at a money exchange company.
President Macron had already left the hotel for the presidential palace, where he arrived for a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, an AFP team confirmed. The French leader’s office, the Elysee Palace, stated that the visit would continue as planned.
The explosions occurred shortly before Syrian state television announced Mr. Macron’s arrival at the palace. This is the second such incident in Damascus in less than a week; on July 2, 2026, a bombing at a cafe killed 10 people.
Mr. Macron’s visit focuses on post-war reconstruction and discussions on “unity” and “plurality,” and he has already met with civil society representatives. He delayed announcing the visit until his plane landed on Monday, July 6, for security reasons. After meeting Mr. Sharaa, he is scheduled to participate in an economic forum on Syria’s reconstruction and strategic corridors.
Mr. Macron is accompanied by several key economic figures, including Rodolphe Saade, chief executive of CMA CGM, and Patrick Pouyanne, head of TotalEnergies.
The last French president to visit Syria was Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, before the 2011 crackdown on pro-democracy protests triggered a devastating conflict. In May 2025, Mr. Macron hosted Mr. Sharaa in Paris, his first official visit to a European country, which preceded the Syrian leader’s trip to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
