WorldTwo ‌bombs exploded near the hotel in Damascus where Emmanuel Macron held meetings on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, but the French president's office said he did not hear the explosions during his visit to meet President Ahmed al-Sharaa.18 people injured, Macron's office says he's safe and his visit to Syria will continue as scheduledThomson Reuters · Posted: Jul 07, 2026 6:13 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Smoke and fire rise at the site where explosive devices blew up near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was believed to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, in this screengrab obtained from a video. (Yamam Al Shaar/Reuters)Two ‌bombs exploded near the hotel in Damascus where Emmanuel Macron held meetings on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, but the French president's office said he did not hear the explosions during his visit to meet President Ahmed al-Sharaa.The blasts underscore the major security challenges in Syria, where Macron is the first head of state of a ​major European Union country to visit since rebels led by Sharaa toppled ​Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The explosions struck a busy area between the Syrian Tourism Ministry and the national museum across the street from the Four Seasons, where Macron was meeting civil society groups. Syria's state news agency ​reported that 18 people were injured in the explosions, including four police officers. The first blast hit ⁠soon after Macron's motorcade left ⁠for the presidential palace. Reuters footage showed flames and smoke billowing from ‌a trash can when a second explosion was caught on camera a few metres away.The second blast went off next to an ambulance parked at the scene, where some two dozen people had gathered. Flames and thick black smoke were seen billowing from close to the shops behind, as emergency personnel worked to put out the blaze. Macron meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the People's Palace in Damascus on Tuesday. (Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters)Reuters ⁠video showed Macron's motorcade heading along a highway towards the presidential palace before the blasts. Photographs then showed him standing alongside Sharaa and meeting other Syrian officials and military officers. Roads were sealed off and security measures were implemented after the blasts, a security source told Reuters. The French Presidency said the blasts were not audible from the presidential motorcade and a Reuters journalist with the press group accompanying Macron did not hear the blast or see any commotion during the French president's morning events. The presidency ​said he intended to stick to his planned schedule for the day. Deadly bombing last weekMacron's visit was intended to highlight Syria's political transformation under Sharaa, who has established close ⁠ties with Western and Middle Eastern powers that shunned Assad, as he seeks to rebuild a country shattered by 13 years of ⁠war.During the Syrian conflict, a range of militant groups including Islamic State gained a foothold in the country. Canada removes Syria from list of terror-sponsoring statesSyria's leader targeted for assassination often, UN report says, as U.S. hands over military baseLast week, a ⁠bomb ⁠at a Damascus cafe killed nine people and wounded ​20 others. There was no claim of responsibility. Islamic State has claimed a series of attacks on government forces in Syria since ​February, when the jihadist group announced what ⁠it described as a new phase of operations against Sharaa's government. Sharaa, a member of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, has pledged to build an inclusive new order in Syria since ending more than five decades of iron-fisted rule by the Assad family. But his promise has been tested by bouts of violence pitting pro-government forces against members of religious and ethnic minority groups, with many hundreds killed last year.