Two explosions went off in Damascus near the hotel where President Emmanuel Macron of France is staying, according to Syrian government officials, as he began his first official visit to the country since the overthrow of the Assad regime.
Mr. Macron was not at the hotel, the Four Seasons, at the time of the explosion, one official said, and state media in Syria published photographs of the country’s president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, welcoming him to his official residence in Damascus soon after the blast.
The office of the French president confirmed that Mr. Macron was safe and that his schedule in Syria would continue as planned.
One of the blasts was caused by an explosive device planted opposite the hotel, one of the Syrian officials said, adding that several other suspicious objects had been identified. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the news media.
The blasts occurred days after a bomb exploded inside a crowded cafe in Damascus, Syria’s capital, killing at least six people and wounding nearly two dozen. Though the ouster of the Assad dictatorship ended a brutal civil war, Syria has continued to face serious security issues, including attacks targeting the government and the military.
Mr. Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday night, the first trip to Syria by a European Union leader since the Assad regime was overthrown in late 2024 by a coalition of rebel groups led by Mr. al-Sharaa’s Islamist faction. The president visited France last year.
Mr. al-Sharaa has sought to bolster foreign relations as Syria emerges from more than a decade of war. The country needs billions of dollars for reconstruction and is seeking investment to rebuild a battered economy.
Catherine Porter contributed reporting from Paris.
