Explosions rock Damascus during Macron’s visit to Syria

At slightest 18 people, including 4 constabulary officers, were wounded successful the blasts.

At slightest 18 radical person been wounded aft 2 explosive devices went disconnected successful the Syrian capital, Damascus, arsenic French President Emmanuel Macron visits the country.

Syria’s Interior Ministry said astatine slightest 18 people, including 4 constabulary officers, were wounded successful the blasts, the authorities quality bureau SANA reported connected Tuesday.

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Television footage showed plumes of fume rising implicit the metropolis and different footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera showed a conveyance connected fire.

An Al Jazeera analogous said that the blasts occurred adjacent the Ministry of Tourism and a edifice wherever Macron was meant to beryllium staying during a sojourn to the superior for talks with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

⁠Macron’s bureau said the president, who was connected his mode to conscionable al-Sharaa, did not perceive ⁠the blasts and the sojourn continued arsenic normal.

The Interior Ministry told SANA that the blasts took spot “outside the information portion designated for the French President’s residence, and did not airs immoderate nonstop menace to the residence oregon the authoritative sojourn programme, which is proceeding according to the planned schedule.”

Authorities person sealed disconnected roads and an probe is nether way.

“Preliminary findings bespeak that the 2 explosive devices were improvised. One was placed wrong a conveyance parked on the roadside, portion the different was concealed successful a trash container,” the Interior Ministry said, arsenic cited by SANA.

“Investigations are nether mode to found the circumstances of the onslaught and place those responsible.”

Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto, reporting from the statesmanlike palace, said the concern determination was “pretty calm”.

He said the blasts occurred contempt “unprecedented” information measures being successful spot for the archetypal sojourn by a European person to Damascus since the autumn of Bashar al-Assad’s authorities successful precocious 2024.

The incidental “reminds america however delicate and fragile the information concern is present successful the country,” Hitto said.

A information authoritative told Al Jazeera that the explosions happened successful an country engaged with civilians, calling it “a transgression act”.

Ismat Al-Absi, a information adept based successful Damascus, told Al Jazeera that the targets of the blasts were not instantly clear.

“We are not definite if the IEDs were targeting the French president’s convoy arsenic helium was heading to People’s Palace to conscionable Syrian president Ahmed Al-Sharaa,” helium said.

“It is wide that the purpose is to make unrest and nonstop a antagonistic message. But let’s beryllium clear, determination is simply a information spread and we request to hole it … successful bid to forestall portraying Syria’s information concern successful a antagonistic light.”

Last week, an explosion astatine a cafe successful cardinal Damascus killed astatine slightest 9 radical and wounded 20 others, according to Syria’s Ministry of Health.

In May 2025, Macron hosted Sharaa connected his archetypal authoritative sojourn to a European country, a determination that preceded the Syrian leader’s travel to Washington past twelvemonth to conscionable United States President Donald Trump.