France has said President Emmanuel Macron is safe after explosions injured a number of people near the central Damascus hotel where he was staying during an official visit to Syria. The blasts occurred as Macron travelled to talks with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the presidential palace, though the French leader reportedly did not hear the explosions on his way to the meeting. The incident underscores the fragile security situation in the Syrian capital as Macron became the first EU leader to visit the country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's rule.

A security source told the BBC the blasts were caused by two explosive devices, with Syrian media reporting that 18 people, including four police officers, were wounded. BBC Verify analysis placed the explosions roughly 125m from the Four Seasons hotel on a major thoroughfare. The Elysée Palace said the visit was continuing as planned, after which Macron is due to travel to Turkey for the Nato summit. The explosions follow a bomb blast at a crowded Damascus cafe earlier in July that killed at least nine people.