Terrorist Attack Rocks Damascus During Macron's Historic Visit

Sahel Region

Two explosions hit central Damascus on Tuesday while Emmanuel Macron was in the city meeting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Syria's Interior Ministry said 18 people were wounded, including four police officers, with no deaths reported so far. The blasts went off on a busy street between the Tourism Ministry and the national museum, across from the Four Seasons Hotel where Macron had stayed the night. Shortly after a second explosion went off, acting as a double-tap after security and rescue services arrived causing more casualties.

The official Syrian account is specific. Internal Security Forces said they detected two explosive devices during field operations and were preparing to dismantle them when the devices detonated. One was placed in a parked car, the other in a garbage container, and both were described as crudely made. No group has claimed responsibility yet.

Timing is the whole story here. Macron is the first major Western leader to visit Syria since al-Sharaa took power, and he arrived Monday night with an economic delegation to sign memorandums of understanding aimed at drawing investment for reconstruction. His office said he was safe and that the meeting with al-Sharaa continued as planned. From Damascus he heads to the NATO summit in Ankara.

The attack fits a pattern that has been building for weeks. On July 3, a bombing at a cafe near the Justice Palace killed nine people and wounded around 20. Syrian authorities said on July 4 that they foiled an attempt to bomb a passenger bus in a Damascus suburb, days after security personnel were wounded at a checkpoint in Jaramana. Islamic State has claimed a series of attacks on government forces since February, when it announced a new phase of operations against al-Sharaa.

What we are seeing here is a highly capable and organised terrorist cell that has it out for the al-Sharaa government. Like I wrote above, Islamic state has claimed responsibility, but this is not the first time for them to do so when it was someone else committing the terror. This may be disgruntled hardline Jihadists that are opposed to al-Sharaa’s diplomatic shift on the world stage.