Explosions Rock Syria's Capital As French President Macron Visits

DAMASCUS, Syria — Explosions rocked Syria’s superior connected Tuesday and injured astatine slightest 18 group arsenic France’s president met pinch his counterpart successful a landmark sojourn to nan state rebuilding from years of civilian war, Syria’s Interior Ministry said.

It was nan 2nd onslaught successful Damascus successful a week and a setback for President Ahmad al-Sharaa arsenic he welcomed nan first awesome Western leader to sojourn since nan ouster of longtime dictator Bashar Assad by insurgent groups successful precocious 2024. Syria’s caller rulers person wrestled pinch outbreaks of unit arsenic they asseverate control, but nan superior had been mostly peaceful.

French President Emmanuel Macron was successful nan statesmanlike palace erstwhile nan explosions happened. An charismatic from nan Elysee Palace said he was safe and nan gathering pinch al-Sharaa continued, speaking connected information of anonymity to talk Macron’s security.

No group instantly claimed responsibility.

“Nothing tin smother nan aspiration of Syrian women and men to unrecorded successful a afloat sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and agreed Syria,” Macron said connected X hours later. “This greeting I met Syria successful each its diversity. I saw dignity, courageousness and determination.”

Later, al-Sharaa and Macron announced they person agreed to reappoint ambassadors aft much than a decade, marking a awesome restoration of negotiated ties.

“Our gathering marks a humanities milestone,” al-Sharaa said. France had closed its embassy successful 2012 but symbolically reopened it successful early 2025.

Macron, who played a awesome domiciled successful pushing Europe and nan United States to driblet astir sanctions that were imposed connected Syria nether Assad, was successful Damascus earlier heading to Ankara, Turkey, later Tuesday for a NATO acme that al-Sharaa besides would attend.

A ample plume of fume was seen astatine nan tract of nan blast adjacent nan Four Seasons Hotel, wherever Syrian media reported Macron was staying. Footage connected societal media showed a van and a motorcycle connected occurrence and bloodstains connected a engaged thoroughfare adjacent nan office of nan Tourism Ministry and nan Damascus National Museum.

The Interior Ministry successful a connection reported by Syrian authorities media said 1 explosive had been placed successful a garbage bin and nan different successful a parked car. It said 4 of nan wounded were constabulary officers, and nary deaths were instantly reported.

On Thursday, an explosive instrumentality detonated successful a cafe adjacent nan Justice Palace, sidesplitting astatine slightest 10 group and wounding much than 20.

Syria’s authorities sees Macron’s sojourn and nan signing of complete a twelve agreements pinch Paris and ample French companies arsenic a awesome boost for nan country’s caller authorities successful their bid to rebuild nan state battered by a 14-year uprising-turned-civil warfare nether Assad.

One statement was to footwear disconnected nan process of returning immoderate $58.3 cardinal successful illicit assets that belonged to Rifaat Assad, nan precocious uncle of Assad. Other agreements included rebuilding nan destroyed h2o and energy infrastructure successful nan metropolis of Homs, providing method assistance to Syria’s Central Bank arsenic it undergoes financial reforms and bolstering cargo infrastructure astatine nan Damascus airport.

“The result of this sojourn confirms that Syria is steadily moving toward a caller shape of world partnerships based connected shared interests and communal respect,” a Syrian overseas ministry charismatic told The Associated Press, who said nan perpetrators of nan onslaught will beryllium brought to justice. “Attempts to destabilize nan state will not change this trajectory.” The charismatic said connected information of anonymity successful statement pinch regulations.

The explosions correspond a situation for al-Sharaa, who has pushed to asseverate afloat power complete Syria, entreaty to minorities skeptical of his Islamist-led norm and triumph nan support of Western governments who were concerned astir his past activity of nan formerly al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. His authorities has promised governmental and economical betterment aft decades of autocratic rule.

The conflict successful Syria killed astir half a cardinal group and displaced millions. Infrastructure lies successful ruins. While different nations and businesses person made ample finance pledges, nan state still needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and assistance millions retired of poverty.

Before arriving astatine nan statesmanlike palace, Macron met pinch members of Syrian civilian society, though his agency did not springiness details.

Albam, Sayed and Chehayeb constitute for nan Associated Press. Chehayeb reported from Beirut. AP writers John Leicester and Sylvie Corbet successful Paris and Sam McNeil successful Brussels contributed to this report.