French President Emmanuel Macron was staying at the downtown Four Seasons hotel in Damascus during a state visit when two explosions rocked the city, according to Syrian state media on Tuesday. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) injured eighteen people on Tuesday, including four police officers, according to a report from Syria’s interior ministry via the official SANA outlet. The ministry claims that both bombs detonated “while preparations for the disposal operation were underway,” following their discovery by security personnel. “BRIEF ALCOHOL BAN IN DAMASCUS SPARKS CONCERNS ABOUT PRESIDENT AL-SHARAA’S VISION FOR SYRIAT” During Macron’s visit, which was the first Syrian state visit by a Western leader since Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa succeeded the now-deposed former President Bashar al-Assad in 2025, bombs were placed inside a car and a garbage can close to the hotel where Macron was staying. According to a Élysée Palace spokesman, Macron was not in his hotel when the explosions occurred.
