French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Syria for an official visit, the first by a Western leader since the fall of the Assad regime, according to Israeli media reports.
French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Damascus on Monday evening, the first official visit by a Western leader to Syria since the fall of the Assad regime. The landing was reported by Israeli journalist Asaf Rozentzweig (N12) at 19:46 Jerusalem time.
The visit immediately drew a sharp reaction. An Israeli source posted commentary accusing Macron of antisemitism, claiming he came to "trade" with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa (al-Julani) and warning of ongoing infighting in Syria, as The Zioneer reported in a subsequent update.
The trip follows a series of regional realignments. As The Zioneer has reported, Macron previously expressed support for the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. The visit also comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity by al-Sharaa, including an invitation to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to visit Damascus (reported Thu Jul 2) and a planned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Turkey this week (reported Sun Jul 5).
No details about the agenda or duration of Macron's visit have been disclosed at this time.
6 developments
- DevelopingSyrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris in Damascus
- StrongTrump to meet Syrian President al-Sharaa in Turkey this week
- DevelopingSyrian President al-Sharaa invites Lebanese President Aoun to Damascus
- DevelopingTrump expected to meet Erdogan, Zelensky, and Syria's al-Jolani at NATO summit in Turkey
Source and signal
- Internal intake