Columns of smoke are rising over Damascus, Al Jazeera reports. At least two explosions have occurred near the hotel where President Macron is staying during his ongoing visit, a source told the AFP news agency.
At least 18 people have been injured, Syria's Interior Ministry said, according to the state news agency Sana. Among them are four police officers.
The French Élysée Palace confirmed that Macron is safe and that the visit to Syria will continue as planned. At the time of the explosions, the president was being received by Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace in Damascus, Sana reports. Pictures posted on Telegram show the two shaking hands in a marble hall.
Saudi television channel al-Hadath reports that Macron left the Four Seasons hotel shortly before the explosion.
Macron is in Damascus to advocate for “a free, pluralistic Syria” that could ease tensions in the Middle East, according to a previous statement from his office. It is the first visit by a Western European head of state or government since Ahmed al-Sharaa took office in 2024, following a blitzkrieg that toppled longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Macron is expected to travel on Tuesday to the NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Also last week, Damascus was shaken by a powerful explosion that claimed about ten lives.
