Syria says one killed, 36 wounded after Damascus blasts during Macron visit 

Syrian authorities say one person has died after explosions rocked Syria’s capital Damascus on Tuesday as French President Emmanual Macron visited the city.

Syria’s state news agency, citing the Ministry of Health, reported the updated toll on Wednesday and said at least 36 people were wounded in the blasts.

The ministry said 31 of those wounded had “minor injuries”, while five others were hospitalised in “stable condition”.

The blasts struck central Damascus near the Ministry of Tourism and the Four Seasons Hotel, a day after Macron had stayed the night there, reported Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto from the Syrian capital.

Syria’s Ministry of Interior said one bomb had been placed inside a car parked on the side of a road, while a second device was planted in a rubbish container. It said they exploded “while preparations were under way” to dismantle them.

Macron, the first European Union head of state to visit Syria since the 2024 ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, had already left the hotel for Syria’s presidential palace and did not hear the explosions, according to his office.

Macron pledged to continue his visit Tuesday, saying in a news conference alongside Syria’s President Ahmed el-Sharaaa that they must “not let ourselves be destabilised”.

Al-Sharaa saluted Macron’s “courage” for carrying on with his visit despite the bombings.

But the attacks cast a shadow over the landmark visit as al-Sharaa tries to rebuild the country’s image after more than a decade of conflict.  Five days earlier, a separate attack in Damascus killed 10 people in a cafe.

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Macron’s visit marked a “pivotal point” in relations between the two countries, which signed 15 bilateral agreements spanning civil aviation, health, banking, water infrastructure and roads.

Al-Sharaa said he envisions France as a “primary partner” for Damascus, which he said could play an important role in global transit following the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Macron and al-Sharaa have since travelled to Ankara, Turkiye, to attend the annual NATO summit.