Three explosive devices detonated in central Damascus, injuring 18 people, state media say. One bomb was hidden in a parked vehicle and another inside a public bin, security teams discovered and were in the process of defusing them when the blasts happened.
The attacks took place near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying for a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa. Macron’s aides said the president did not hear any explosions and continued his tour of the capital, later expressing admiration for the resilience of Syria’s people.
Four police officers were among those wounded, and the interior ministry opened an investigation into who was responsible. Eyewitnesses reported plumes of smoke and fire rising from a vehicle near the Ministry of Tourism headquarters, about 125 metres from the Four Seasons hotel on a major thoroughfare.
This incident highlights the security threat posed by groups such as the Islamic State and other militant actors that have targeted government institutions over the past months in Syria’s war‑torn city.
Macron’s visit underlines Syria’s return to the international stage—he is the first EU leader to visit since the regime change in late 2024—while the focus of the trip remains reconstruction and economic stability amid violence.
