18 injured in Damascus bombing amid Macron's landmark Syria visit
Damascus, July 7
Two explosions occurred near the Ministry of Tourism in Syria's capital Damascus on Tuesday afternoon, injuring 18 people, including four police officers, local media reported citing the latest information released by the country's Interior Ministry.
The explosions occurred just before the meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential palace.
Macron, who arrived in the Syrian capital on Monday, is the first top European leader to visit the war-torn country since the fall of the regime headed by Bashar al-Assad.
The Interior ministry told the leading Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that the Internal Security Forces had detected two explosive devices during their field operations, and the competent units had begun taking the necessary measures to dismantle them, but they exploded while preparing for the dismantling operation.
"The Interior Ministry explained that the initial inspection showed that the two devices were made in a primitive way. The first was placed inside a car parked on the side of the road, while the second was placed inside a garbage container. It noted that investigations are continuing to uncover the circumstances of the attack and identify those involved," SANA reported.
Several media outlets reported that the explosions took place close to the hotel Macron is reportedly staying in.
"The French President's office said in a statement that the President was safe and that his trip was continuing," reported French daily Le Monde.
On July 3, a bombing in a cafe near the Justice Palace in central Damascus, killed nine people and injured 20 others. The interior authorities described the incident as a terrorist attack involving an improvised explosive device weighing about one kilogram and packed with metal fragments. Forensic teams were reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses, the authorities said.
Syrian authorities on July 4 said they had foiled another attempt to bomb a passenger bus in a Damascus suburb, Xinhua news agency reported.
The attempted bombing came after three security personnel were wounded in an attack on Friday at a checkpoint in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana.
— IANS
Reader Comments
18 injured, and the French President's office just says "he's safe and the trip continues." Typical Western diplomacy—prioritizing optics over actual safety. India has always maintained that Syria's reconstruction needs regional consensus, not high-profile visits from outsiders. These attacks show the ground reality is still very fragile 🚨
As someone who follows international affairs, this is deeply concerning. The fact that these IEDs were "primitive" suggests local militant groups, not state actors. France's push for dialogue with Syria's new leadership is risky without ensuring basic security. India's non-interference policy looks wiser by the day.
Third attack in a week in Damascus—that's 9 killed in the cafe bombing, 3 injured at the checkpoint, and now 18 injured near the Tourism Ministry. This is not a coincidence. The security situation is clearly deteriorating. Macron's visit might actually be provoking more attacks from groups opposed to any normalization with the West. India should tread carefully if we ever think of reopening our embassy there.
It's tragic that civilians and police officers are paying the price for political games. France wants to be the first European leader to legitimize Syria's new regime, but these explosions show the country is still a powder keg. India's wait-and-watch approach seems prudent—we've been burned before by rushing into post-conflict zones.
These "primitive" devices still caused 18 injuries—that says a lot about how close they were to populated areas. The fact that the bomb in the cafe weighed just 1 kg and killed 9 people shows the vulnerability of civilians. Whether it's
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