{"id":3351,"date":"2026-07-07T20:36:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T20:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3351"},"modified":"2026-07-07T20:36:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T20:36:25","slug":"explosions-rock-syrias-capital-as-french-president-macron-visits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3351","title":{"rendered":"Explosions rock Syria\u2019s capital as French President Macron visits"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>DAMASCUS, Syria<\/strong> | Explosions rocked Syria\u2019s capital on Tuesday and injured at least 18 people as France\u2019s president met with his counterpart in a landmark visit to the country rebuilding from years of civil war, Syria\u2019s Interior Ministry said.<\/p>\n<p>It was the second attack in Damascus in a week and a setback for President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he welcomed the first major Western leader to visit since the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar Assad by insurgent groups in late 2024. Syria\u2019s new rulers have wrestled with outbreaks of violence as they assert control, but the capital had been been largely peaceful.<\/p>\n<p>French President Emmanuel Macron was in the presidential palace when the explosions happened. An official from the Elysee Palace said he was safe and the meeting with al-Sharaa continued, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Macron\u2019s security.<\/p>\n<p>No group immediately claimed responsibility.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cNothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria,\u201d Macron said on X hours later. \u201cThis morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later, al-Sharaa and Macron announced they have agreed to reappoint ambassadors after more than a decade, marking a major restoration of diplomatic ties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur meeting marks a historical milestone,\u201d al-Sharaa said. France had closed its embassy in 2012 but symbolically reopened it in early 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Macron, who played a major role in pushing Europe and the United States to drop most sanctions that were imposed on Syria under Assad, was in Syria before heading to Ankara, Turkey, later Tuesday for a NATO summit.<\/p>\n<p>A large plume of smoke was seen at the site of the blast near the Four Seasons Hotel, where Syrian media reported Macron was staying. Footage on social media showed a van and a motorcycle on fire and bloodstains on a busy street near the headquarters of the Tourism Ministry and the Damascus National Museum.<\/p>\n<p>The Interior Ministry in a statement reported by Syrian state media said one bomb had been placed in a garbage bin and the other in a parked car. It said four of the wounded were police officers, and no deaths were immediately reported.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, an explosive device detonated in a cafe near the Justice Palace, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 20.<\/p>\n<p>Syria\u2019s government sees Macron\u2019s visit and the signing of over a dozen agreements with Paris and large French companies as a major boost for the country\u2019s new authorities in their bid to rebuild the country battered by a 14-year uprising-turned-civil war under Assad.<\/p>\n<p>One agreement was to kick off the process of returning some 51 million euros ($58.3 million) in illicit assets that belonged to Rifaat Assad, the late uncle of Assad. Other agreements included rebuilding the destroyed water and electricity infrastructure in the city of Homs, providing technical assistance to Syria\u2019s Central Bank as it undergoes financial reforms and bolstering cargo infrastructure at the Damascus airport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe outcome of this visit confirms that Syria is steadily moving toward a new phase of international partnerships based on shared interests and mutual respect,\u201d a Syrian foreign ministry official told The Associated Press, who said the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice. \u201cAttempts to destabilize the country will not alter this trajectory.\u201d The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.<\/p>\n<p>The explosions represent a challenge for al-Sharaa, who has pushed to assert full control over Syria, appeal to minorities skeptical of his Islamist-led rule and win the support of Western governments who were concerned about his past leadership of the formerly al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. His government has promised political and economic reform after decades of autocratic rule.<\/p>\n<p>The conflict in Syria killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions. Infrastructure lies in ruins. While other nations and businesses have made large investment pledges, the country still needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift millions out of poverty.<\/p>\n<p>Before arriving at the presidential palace, Macron met with members of Syrian civil society, though his office did not give details.<\/p>\n<p>Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers John Leicester and Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3345\">Judge dismisses Prince Harry\u2019s privacy invasion lawsuit against publisher of Daily Mail<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3347\">Reform UK\u2019s Farage says he\u2019ll quit as lawmaker and seek re-election amid donation allegations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3349\">French court clears way for far-right leader Le Pen to run in 2027 but under a condition she rejects<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DAMASCUS, Syria | Explosions rocked Syria\u2019s capital on Tuesday and injured at least 18 people as France\u2019s president met with his counterpart in a landmark visit to the country rebuilding from years of civil war, Syria\u2019s Interior Ministry said. It was the second attack in Damascus in a week and a setback for President Ahmad [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1101,1093,1133,1134,67,1103,63,1144],"tags":[5406,5407,5408,3188,5409,5410,5411],"class_list":["post-3351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-0-no-apple-publish","category-0recent-headlines","category-1gridnation","category-1gridnationandstate","category-nation","category-uncategorized","category-world","category-z-ntl-galley","tag-ahmad-al-sharaa","tag-bashar-assad","tag-elysee-palace","tag-emmanuel-macron","tag-french-president","tag-nato-summit","tag-syrias-interior-ministry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Explosions rock Syria\u2019s capital as French President Macron visits - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3351\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Explosions rock Syria\u2019s capital as French President Macron visits - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DAMASCUS, Syria | Explosions rocked Syria\u2019s capital on Tuesday and injured at least 18 people as France\u2019s president met with his counterpart in a landmark visit to the country rebuilding from years of civil war, Syria\u2019s Interior Ministry said. 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