Overview
- French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Tuesday to meet Syrian leader Ahmed ash‑Sharaa and to advance bilateral ties and regional security talks.
- Two explosions took place near the hotel where Macron had been staying, with Syrian authorities reporting one device inside a parked car and another in a trash container.
- Syria’s state media said 18 people were wounded, including four police officers, and local reporting tied the blasts to a recent run of attacks in Damascus.
- The French presidency said Macron was not at the hotel when the blasts occurred, he did not hear them, and his visit is continuing with a delegation of French businesspeople and investors.
- The visit furthers Western reengagement after the 2024 ouster of Bashar al‑Assad and could steer reconstruction finance and contracts to France while raising questions about investor and security risks.