Damascus, Syria - The sound of explosions rang out through central Damascus again on Tuesday, following twin explosions near the Four Seasons Hotel, which French President Emmanuel Macron had vacated only minutes prior.
According to Syria’s Ministry of Health, one individual was killed in the attack and 31 injured, including a deputy minister and four police officers. Macron, who was taking part in a two-day visit to Syria , was unharmed in the blast, and, according to the Elysée Palace, had already arrived at the People’s Palace by the time of the incident.
The bombs were identified during a routine security sweep and exploded whilst members of the internal security forces were attempting to defuse them. The site was quickly sealed off whilst investigators deployed to check for further explosives and to pick through the remains.
Blood and shattered glass covered what is usually one of Damascus’ busiest streets. The streets were largely empty across much of central Damascus, as the security services launched a security sweep in the area, closing roads and searching passers-by's bags.
Only a few hundred metres from the site is the towering Four Seasons Hotel, the regular stay for visiting dignitaries and businessmen. Its large blast-proof walls made it the chosen destination for UN workers and embassy staff during Syria’s civil war. Macron had just finished breakfast and left for the People’s Palace around 10 minutes before the bomb went off.
Inside the Palace, the itinerary continued as normal, with a source on the presidential delegation saying that Macron remained in a “very good mood” despite the attack.
Whilst the Ministry of Interior clarified that the bomb site was “outside the security perimeter” of the presidential delegation, and that it “posed no threat” to the President, this attack still represents an embarrassing security lapse for the Syrian government.
The government had rolled out an immense security operation ahead of Macron’s visit, which was itself kept largely secret due to security concerns. On Monday night, large parts of Damascus’ historic old city were cleared in preparation for Macron’s visit to the Umayyad Mosque.
A lot of the secrecy around the visit stemmed from the deteriorating security situation in the Syrian capital, which has witnessed nine separate bomb attacks since May.
Tuesday's attack was the second in recent days . Last Thursday, an explosion ripped through a busy cafe, largely frequented by lawyers working at the nearby Palace of Justice, killing 10. A declining security situation Little is known yet about the perpetrators of the attack. Syria’s Ministry of Interior has announced that “investigations are ongoing to uncover the circumstances of the attack and identify those involved”.
For Caroline Rose, a Senior Director at the Soufan Centre, there are a large number of potential culprits.
“There are a number of groups with a hostile attitude towards the Syrian government, including ISIS, Assad-affiliated elements, Druze groups, Hezbollah-linked cells and even hardcore Islamist elements within the government’s core constituency,” she told The New Arab .
Whilst Rose can’t be certain, she suggests there are similarities with these recent attacks and other attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS). The group claimed a car-bomb attack in June that injured a senior judicial official in the town of Barbila in rural Damascus.
This spate of attacks will raise questions about Damascus’ capacity to counter these insurgent threats. Whilst Syria has now officially joined the anti-IS coalition , and frequently trumpets its success when it thwarts attacks online, Rose believes that “as the government is still building up its security capacity, major gaps remain between Syria and its international partners in terms of capacity”. She acknowledges that whilst no government can thwart every attack, the steady recurrence suggests “the perpetrators are clearly managing to identify weak spots in their security architecture”.
Alongside the wave of attacks in Damascus, killings and bombings have been spreading throughout the country, often targeting infrastructure, low-level officials and community leaders, in tactics worryingly reminiscent of the anti-US insurgency in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In that context, the US and the US-backed Iraqi government were unable to contain a growing insurgency until it erupted into the full-blown Islamic State in 2014.
With bomb attacks now occurring in parts of Damascus, which even at the height of the civil war never witnessed such incidents, the fragility of the current system appears increasingly on display.
“We definitely haven't seen the last attack,” she adds. “Now we will witness an intense game of whack-a-mole between the security services and the perpetrators.” A symbolic attack It seems unlikely that this was a genuine assassination attempt. The bomb attacks, whilst close to the Four Seasons Hotel, were situated on the opposite side to which Macron would have travelled to get to the People's Palace.
Equally, the devices, which have been described as “primitive” by the Syrian authorities, were nowhere near powerful enough to threaten the hotel itself.
Instead, the attack appeared designed to “send a message, not to the French in particular, but the wider international community,” Rose tells The New Arab .
“They’re hoping to undermine the credibility of the government and paint Syria as ‘not-stable-enough’ to be a genuine partner yet.” Macron’s visit is symbolically important because he is the first Western head of state to visit the country since the fall of Assad’s regime in 2024. Equally, there were practical benefits, as he brought a large delegation of business leaders, investors, and civil society actors with him to promote greater economic and cultural ties between the countries.
Similarly, Thursday's bomb attack is also symbolic. It took place in a popular cafe frequented by lawyers working at the Palace of Justice next door. Syria is currently in the process of putting senior Assad-era figures, including Assad’s cousin, Atef Najib , on trial.
The attack appeared to be an attack on the judicial process itself, designed to undermine the very notion that Syria’s government can bring about justice .
Macron did not allow the attack to affect his visit. In a statement on Instagram, he wrote, “nothing will be able to extinguish the aspirations of the Syrian people. This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage and determination. My visit continues”.
“They didn’t want to allow the attackers to achieve their aim of deterring foreign engagement,” explains Rose. “It was also about standing in solidarity with the Syrian government and people.”
Yet, despite that, such an attack will likely have a tangible impact on foreign engagement. Any business leaders, humanitarian organisations, and media outlets will have to reckon with the increased risk profile travelling to Syria in such contexts carries.
“Insurance premiums will be higher; they will be required to bring larger security teams or may just decide not to come at all,” Rose acknowledges.
Whether Tuesday's bombing proves to be merely an isolated incident or heralds a new, and increasingly brazen, insurgent campaign may ultimately determine how quickly Syria reintegrates into the global economy and is welcomed back into the international community. Cian Ward is a journalist based in Damascus, covering conflict, migration, and humanitarian issues Follow him on X: @CP__Ward Edited by Charlie Hoyle