It was a historic visit, the first by a Western head of state, signalling Syria’s emerging integration into the international stage after the isolation, sanctions and brutal violence of the Assad era. But the morning after President Emmanuel Macron landed in Damascus, two homemade bombs exploded near the Four Seasons Hotel where the French delegation had spent the night. The twin blasts, which injured 18 people, including four Syrian police officers, were a stark reminder of the security challenges confronting President Ahmed al-Sharaa more than a year after his forces ousted former strongman Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. No group has taken responsibility for the explosions. Syria’s interior ministry said one bomb was placed inside a car parked on the side of a road and the second was planted in a garbage bin. It said they exploded “while preparations were underway” to dismantle them. “These acts of sabotage carried out today... were intended to undermine the French president’s visit,” said Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab, who visited the scene. Shortly after the news broke, Macron said his visit “continues” and asserted that “nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria” in a post on X.