French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said that violence would not deter Syria’s “reintegration into the community of nations” after bombs went off near his hotel, threatening to derail his historic visit to the Middle Eastern country. Macron and Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa addressed the matter in a joint press conference after two bomb blasts went off by the hotel where the French president spent the night, injuring at least 18 people. The development cast a shadow on Macron’s visit to Syria, as it seeks to climb out of the shadow of terrorism and chaos after former president Bashar Assad’s ouster in 2024. “I think we must both stand with those who were injured, continue to be uncompromising when it comes to security … but not allow ourselves to be destabilized regarding the importance of the path we are on,” Macron told reporters while sporting black sunglasses. “So we move forward.”
“We made this trip fully aware of the situation, with the French side being organized and with the [other] side being organized,” he added. “We are not naive about the elements of risk, but they are under control, and also about the desire of certain groups to prevent Syria’s return and reintegration into the community of nations.”Syria was for years politically and economically isolated due to sweeping concerns about its leadership, in part for committing atrocities against its own civilians. When Assad’s regime was toppled roughly 18 months ago, the development propelled the country’s slow return to the world stage. Macron is the first EU head of state to return to Damascus since the new leadership was installed. The attacks near Macron’s hotel underscore the challenges the country faces in its bid for stability. The two bombs went off across the street from the Four Seasons hotel, where Macron spent the night and had met civil society groups on Tuesday morning, according to Reuters. Macron’s motorcade left the hotel shortly before the blasts. The French presidential palace said following the bombing that Macron was safe and would continue his visit to Damascus. “Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria,” Macron wrote in a post to X. “My visit continues.”French President Emmanuel Macron, left, listens to Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa during a joint press conference at the presidential palace in Damascus on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
