Explosions near the Damascus hotel where Emmanuel Macron was staying wounded at least 18 people on Tuesday, Syrian authorities said, during the French president’s landmark visit to Syria.

Macron was at the presidential palace meeting Syria’s president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, when the blasts occurred. French officials said he was safe and the meeting continued.

Syria’s Interior Ministry said one device had been placed in a rubbish bin and another in a parked car. Four police officers were among those wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

The attack is a security setback for Syria’s new leadership, which has sought to present Damascus as stable enough for diplomatic engagement and foreign investment after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024.