Bombs exploded near the hotel where Emmanuel Macron was staying in Syria on Tuesday, a security source said, but the French president did not hear the explosions, the Elysee said, and he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa soon afterwards.
The blasts underscore the major security challenges in Syria, where Macron is the first head of state of a European Union country to visit since rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
The Elysee said the blasts were not audible from the presidential motorcade and a Reuters journalist with the press group accompanying Macron did not hear the blast or see any commotion during the French president’s morning events.
