Two explosions rocked an area near the Ministry of Tourism in Damascus on Tuesday, 7 July, injuring 18 people — including four police officers — according to Syria's Interior Ministry. The blasts occurred just before a scheduled meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential palace, casting a shadow over the highest-profile European visit to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

How the Explosions Unfolded

Syria's Interior Ministry said its Internal Security Forces had detected two improvised explosive devices during routine field operations and had begun dismantling procedures — but both devices detonated before they could be neutralised. According to an official statement carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency, an initial inspection revealed the devices were primitive in construction: the first was concealed inside a parked car, and the second was hidden inside a roadside garbage container. Investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and identify those responsible, authorities said.

Macron Safe, Visit Continues

Several outlets reported the blasts occurred close to the hotel where Macron is reportedly staying. The French President's office confirmed in a statement that he was safe and that his visit to Damascus was proceeding as planned, according to French daily Le Monde. Macron, who arrived in the Syrian capital on Monday, 7 July, is the first senior European leader to visit Syria since Assad's ouster, making the trip a significant diplomatic milestone for the country's new administration.

A Pattern of Attacks in Damascus

Tuesday's bombings are the latest in a series of security incidents in and around the Syrian capital. On 3 July, a bombing at a café near the Justice Palace in central Damascus killed nine people and injured 20 others; interior authorities described it as a terrorist attack using an improvised explosive device weighing approximately one kilogram and packed with metal fragments. The following day, 4 July, Syrian authorities said they had foiled an attempt to bomb a passenger bus in a Damascus suburb. Earlier, on a Friday, three security personnel were wounded in an attack at a checkpoint in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. This is at least the third significant security incident in Damascus within a week.

Diplomatic Stakes of the Visit

Macron's arrival in Damascus signals a broader European recalibration toward Syria's new leadership under Ahmad al-Sharaa. The visit carries significant symbolic weight — it is the first by a major European head of state since the end of the Assad era — and is being watched closely by regional and Western governments assessing whether to re-engage with Damascus. The timing of the explosions, minutes before the presidential summit, will inevitably raise questions about the security environment surrounding Syria's political transition.

Syrian authorities have not attributed the latest blasts to any group, and investigations remain active. The international community will be watching closely to see whether the new Syrian administration can contain the security volatility that has accompanied its early months in power.