Video shows bomb rock Damascus hotel where French President Macron is staying during Syrian state visit

close Video Explosion rocks Damascus during French President Macron state visit An improvised explosive device goes off near the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Damascus, Syria, on July 7, 2026. The hotel is hosting French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to Syria. Credit: Amam al-Shaar & Firas Makdesi/REUTERS NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Hören Sie sich diesen Artikel an 3 Min A pair of explosions rocked the Syrian capital of Damascus near the downtown Four Seasons hotel, where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during a state visit, Syrian state media reported Tuesday. Eighteen people, including four police officers, were injured by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on Tuesday, Syria's interior ministry reported through state outlet SANA. According to the ministry, both bombs exploded after security forces had discovered them, "while preparations for the disposal operation were underway." BRIEF ALCOHOL BAN IN Damascus SPARKS CONCERNS ABOUT PRESIDENT AL-SHARAA'S VISION FOR Syria The bombs were placed inside a car and a garbage can near the hotel where Macron was staying during his visit, the first Syrian state visit by the leader of a Western country since Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa took over for the now-deposed former President Bashar al-Assad in 2025. A spokesman for Élysée Palace said Macron was not in his hotel during the explosions and didn't even hear them. He continued his visit with al-Sharaa, according to both Élysée Palace and SANA. France's President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the People's Palace in Damascus, July 7, 2026. (Reuters/Mahmoud Hassano) While not commenting on the explosions directly, Macron posted a statement on X shortly after the incident. ISRAEL FORTIFIES BORDER WITH JORDAN AS IRAN SEEKS NEW TERROR PATH "Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria. This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage, and determination. My visit continues," he wrote. Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa greets supporters after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., NOV. 10, 2025. (Lubna Allababidi/Handout via Reuters) Syria's Ministry of the Interior confirmed the explosions but stressed that they were outside the security perimeter designated for Macron. "We confirm that the explosion site is outside the security perimeter designated for the French president’s residence. It posed no direct threat to the residence or the official visit program, which is proceeding as planned," the ministry announced through SANA. 'PARCEL BOMB' EXPLODES IN MONACO RESIDENTIAL AREA, LEAVING 2 CRITICALLY INJURED: REPORTS An ambulance drives past the site where explosive devices blew up near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. (Reuters/Yamam Al Shaar) Macron is the first Western leader to meet with al-Sharaa in Damascus since he became the country's president in 2025. Some have criticized Western leaders, including President Donald Trump, who hosted al-Sharaa in the White House in November, for normalizing relations with al-Sharaa given his past as a fighter for the al Qaeda terrorist group. Tuesday's explosions in Damascus were also the second and third major blasts in Damascus in less than a week. On Monday, France's government condemned what it called a "terrorist attack" after an explosive device killed at least nine people in a Damascus cafe on July 2. Syrian authorities are still investigating the attack and have not publicly ascribed it to any group or individual, according to The Washington Post. Fox News Digital contacted the Syrian Foreign Ministry and Élysée Palace for confirmation and further details.