Live Roundups Editor's Desk Insights Executive Ops Weather About 🔍
Home › Politics › Explosions rock Damascus as France’s Macron visits Syria
Politics

Explosions rock Damascus as France’s Macron visits Syria

Explosions rock Damascus as France’s Macron visits Syria
South China Morning Post Tuesday 07 July 2026, 08:10 UTC By Associated Press 1 min read
Key Points

Explosions rocked Damascus on Tuesday as France’s president met with his Syrian counterpart in a landmark visit. Emmanuel Macron had entered the presidential palace to meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa when the explosions happened near the Four Seasons Hotel. Syrian authorities did not immediately comment on the incident.

Explosions rocked Damascus on Tuesday as France’s president met with his Syrian counterpart in a landmark visit. Emmanuel Macron had entered the presidential palace to meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa when the explosions happened near the Four Seasons Hotel. Syrian authorities did not immediately comment on the incident. Syrian media reported that Macron was staying at the Four Seasons. The French president’s office said he was safe and that his visit to Syria was continuing. Two explosions...
Damascus (LOCATION) France (LOCATION) Macron (ORG) Syria Explosions (ORG) Syrian (ORG) Emmanuel Macron (PERSON) Ahmad al-Sharaa (PERSON) the Four Seasons (EVENT) French (ORG) Syria (LOCATION)
Originally published by South China Morning Post Read original →

Related Stories

Explosions trying to deter 'business as usual' strategy at the heart of Macron's visit

As French President Emmanuel Macron is holding a landmark visit to his Syrian counterpart, several bombs exploded near Damascus's Four Seasons Hotel, in the city centre, where Macron is said to be staying. But the two presidents seem undeterred as the visit signs a landmark moment for Syria's post-Assad: Macron is the first Western leader to be visiting Syria since al-Sharaa came to power. FRANCE 24's Marc Perelman and Clovis Casali tell us more.

France 24 14m ago

Hong Kong yuan facility to expand 150% to US$73.6 billion to meet international demand

Hong Kong will substantially increase its yuan facilities for banks from this Friday, while the city will also introduce a new electronic fixed income and currency (FIC) trading system as part of its latest efforts to promote yuan trading, according to local market regulators on Tuesday. Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) would increase the quota of its RMB Business Facility for banks by 1.5 times to 500 billion yuan (US$73.6 billion) from this Friday, according to its chief executive Eddie...

South China Morning Post 15m ago

NATO to put pressure on allies not stepping up, warns Dutch minister

As the Netherlands announced an extra €3 billion euros new spending at the NATO summit in Ankara, Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius tells Europe Today that extra pressure will be applied to NATO allies not stepping up on defence. Allies not on their way to spending 5 percent of GDP on defence will come under pressure from fellow NATO allies, Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius has told Euronews. NATO leaders are meeting for their summit in Ankara, where the first...

Euronews 18m ago

Cuba slowly gets power back after third nationwide blackout in six months

Cuba slowly gets power back after third nationwide blackout in six months HAVANA: Cubans were gradually getting power back on Tuesday (Jul 7) after the third nationwide power outage since the start of the year, causing mounting despair in the face of an energy collapse precipitated by a US fuel blockade. The communist island was already struggling to keep the lights on before US President Donald Trump cut off its oil supplies in January, depleting the dwindling supply of fuel for its power...

Channel News Asia 18m ago