French President Emmanuel Macron was not harmed in explosive device blasts in Damascus Tuesday morning, according to Syrian sources cited by the Abu Ali Express channel. The Elysee said Macron did not hear the explosions and had left his hotel about 15 minutes before they occurred. He arrived at the Syrian presidential palace as scheduled.
French President Emmanuel Macron was not harmed and was unaware of the explosions that occurred near his hotel in Damascus on Tuesday morning, according to the Élysée Palace. Macron had left his hotel approximately 15 minutes before the blasts and arrived at the Syrian presidential palace as scheduled for his meeting with President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The meeting proceeded as planned, and Syrian state television broadcast footage of the two leaders together to dispel any rumors.
The Zioneer's thread on this development began at 10:42 Jerusalem, with initial reports of two explosions near a central Damascus hotel where Macron was staying. Within minutes, a French security source told AFP that the blasts occurred near a hotel previously used by the French president. At 10:42, the Élysée Palace confirmed that Macron was already en route to meet al-Sharaa when the explosions occurred and that he did not hear them. By 10:45, Syrian state television aired footage of the meeting, corroborating the account. The corroboration evolved from a single unconfirmed report to official statements from the Élysée and visual evidence from Syrian TV.
Separately, as The Zioneer reported at 11:05 Jerusalem, Syrian sources cited by ynet said three people were killed in an explosive device blast in Damascus earlier Tuesday morning. That attack was not directed at Macron's convoy, and the timing and location appear to have been unconnected to his visit.
The cause of the explosions near the hotel and any casualties from those blasts remain unclear. No group has claimed responsibility.
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