Explosions have been heard in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in what security experts believe may have been an attack against French President Emmanuel Macron and his delegation as he makes a landmark visit to the city.<\/p>\n
Macron is the first European leader to visit Syria since the 2024 ouster of Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces led by Syria\u2019s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.<\/p>\n
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Here\u2019s what we know so far:<\/p>\n
What has happened in Damascus?<\/p>\n
Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera\u2019s Obaida Hitto said two explosions occurred in a busy area in the city centre, near the Ministry of Tourism and the Four Seasons Hotel, where Macron had stayed the night before.<\/p>\n
Syria\u2019s Ministry of Interior said 18 people were injured, including four police officers, the state news agency SANA reported.<\/p>\n
Later on Tuesday, the ministry said the explosives had detonated after Syrian security forces discovered them and dispatched specialists to try to dismantle them. It said authorities were surveilling the area and investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack to discover those responsible.<\/p>\n
The Reuters and AFP news agencies reported that the first blast went off in a rubbish bin shortly after Macron\u2019s motorcade had left the hotel for the presidential palace. Reuters footage showed flames and smoke billowing from the bin just as a second explosion was caught on camera a few metres (yards) away.<\/p>\n
The second blast occurred close to an ambulance parked near the Four Seasons while about two dozen people were in the vicinity.<\/p>\n
More television footage showed plumes of smoke rising in the sky over the city, while online footage verified by Al Jazeera showed a vehicle on fire.<\/p>\n
Security experts told Al Jazeera that explosive devices may have been placed and timed for when Macron\u2019s entourage was en route to the presidential palace for meetings.<\/p>\n
However, Syria\u2019s Interior Ministry said the explosions took place outside Macron\u2019s designated security perimeter and did not pose a direct threat to his residence or itinerary.<\/p>\n
The French president\u2019s office said Macron, who did not hear the explosions, had arrived safely for a meeting with al-Sharaa along with their respective delegations. Al-Sharaa is expected to travel to the ongoing NATO summit to meet with United States President Donald Trump. It is unclear if that trip is still going ahead following the attacks in Damascus.<\/p>\n
Reporting from the palace, Hitto said the situation there was \u201ccalm\u201d despite the shock caused by the explosions.<\/p>\n
What do we know about who caused the explosions and why?<\/p>\n
Details are limited for now. No group has claimed responsibility for the explosions.<\/p>\n
Analysts said it is likely that the French delegation was the target.<\/p>\n
Kamal Abdeo, professor and political researcher at the University of Idlib in Syria, said the attack appeared to have targeted Macron, with those responsible having planted improvised explosive devices overnight on roads his convoy would use.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey probably implanted it at night after Macron arrived,\u201d Abdeo said, calling the incident a \u201cbig security breach\u201d that the Syrian state needs to address.<\/p>\n
Syrian security expert Ismat al-Absi said the aim was likely to \u201ccreate unrest and send a negative message\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut let\u2019s be clear, there is a security gap, and we need to fix it \u2026 to prevent portraying Syria\u2019s security situation in a negative light,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s explosions come after an explosive device was detonated in a cafe<\/a> near the Palace of Justice in Damascus on Thursday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 20.<\/p>\n Why is Macron in Damascus?<\/p>\n The French president\u2019s trip to Damascus is the first by a European head of state since longtime Syrian leader al-Assad was ousted<\/a> in a blitz offensive in late 2024 that brought al-Sharaa to power after nearly 14 years of civil war.<\/p>\n Syria\u2019s reconstruction is expected to feature prominently in the meetings for Macron, who made the trip to Damascus with numerous French business leaders, according to a French presidential official.<\/p>\n In a post on X following the explosions, Macron wrote: \u201cNothing can suppress the aspirations of the Syrian people to live in a fully sovereign, secure, pluralistic and united Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that he had held meetings in the morning with diverse Syrians who displayed \u201cdignity, courage and determination\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cMy visit continues,\u201d said Macron.<\/p>\n Macron\u2019s trip is seen as a forum for Syria to showcase its new political order under al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who, since becoming president, has developed\u2060 ties with Western and Middle Eastern powers that shunned al-Assad.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Syrian government is framing this visit as a door to the Western world,\u201d said Hitto.<\/p>\n How will France collaborate with Syria on reconstruction?<\/p>\n Speaking at a news conference alongside al-Sharaa on Tuesday, Macron said France hopes to contribute to rebuilding Syria\u2019s economy, including its banking sector.<\/p>\n Al-Sharaa said he envisions France as a \u201cprimary partner\u201d for Damascus, which he said could play an important role in global transit following the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other potential areas of partnership include aviation and energy.<\/p>\n Macron\u2019s office said French shipping group \u2060CMA \u2060CGM has signed a partnership deal with Syria, which includes handling air freight at Damascus International Airport, following on from an earlier May contract for the firm to operate two \u2060dry ports in the country.<\/p>\n