18 injured in two Damascus blasts during Macron visit

Eighteen people were injured, including four police officers, in two explosions in central Damascus during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the Syrian capital, local state media reported on Tuesday. A witness working at the Syrian Ministry of Tourism told Xinhua that two blasts were heard near the ministry and the adjacent Four Seasons Hotel in central Damascus. A Xinhua reporter who rushed to the scene said security forces had cordoned off the area to prevent access. Although the cause of the explosions has not been confirmed, local reports suggested they may have been triggered by an explosive device planted in a van parked near the ministry, though there has been no official confirmation. Shortly after the blasts were reported, Syrian state media reported that President Ahmad al-Sharaa welcomed Macron at the People’s Palace in Damascus. In a statement carried by the state news agency SANA, authorities said security forces had detected two improvised explosive devices during a field operation, which detonated as preparations to disarm them were underway. According to preliminary investigations, one device was placed inside a parked vehicle and the other in a roadside rubbish container near the building housing the tourism authority. Interior Minister Anas Khattab said the first explosion occurred at 10:15 a.m. local time, followed by a second blast approximately eight minutes later. Khattab added that most of the injured were security personnel, and while the majority suffered minor wounds, four were undergoing surgery. He noted that Macron’s motorcade was about 10 kilometres from the blast site at the time. Authorities said the explosions took place outside the security perimeter established for Macron’s residence and posed no direct threat to his visit, which continued as scheduled.