Overview
- Two improvised explosive devices detonated near the Four Seasons hotel in central Damascus on Tuesday, wounding people including security personnel according to Syrian state media.
- The Élysée Palace said President Macron was not harmed, did not hear the blasts, and continued with scheduled meetings including talks with President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
- Syria's Interior Ministry reported one device was placed in a trash container and the other in a parked car and said security forces have launched searches and an investigation.
- No group immediately claimed responsibility and the explosions follow a deadly cafe bombing in the capital days earlier, underlining persistent threats from jihadist and other armed actors.
- Macron's trip, accompanied by French business leaders, is focused on reconstruction contracts, counterterrorism cooperation and pressing for minority protections, but the attacks could complicate investor confidence and diplomatic normalization.