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Bombs Injure 18 Near Four Seasons as Macron Visits Damascus

7/7/2026

38 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Two IEDs detonated near the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus while security teams tried to disarm them.
The blasts injured 18 people, including four police officers, and caused no immediate fatalities.
French President Emmanuel Macron met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus and entered the presidential palace unharmed.
The explosions forced road closures and a security investigation.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

History

Historical Context

On 15 March 2013 a car bomb outside the French embassy in Damascus killed four civilians and wounded about 30, claimed by al-Nusra Front, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. Subsequent attacks, such as the 2017 Damascus bombings by Tahrir al-Sham and multiple embassy assaults since 2012, show a pattern. The recent IED blasts near the Four Seasons hotel repeat this threat to foreign diplomatic sites.

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Story summary

Two IEDs detonated near the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus while security teams tried to disarm them.
The blasts injured 18 people, including four police officers, and caused no immediate fatalities.
French President Emmanuel Macron met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus and entered the presidential palace unharmed.
The explosions forced road closures and a security investigation.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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