DAMASCUS, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Two explosions in central Damascus on Tuesday injured 18 people, including four police officers, during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Syria, the interior authorities said, while confirming the incidents posed no threat to the visit or the president's residence.
In a statement carried by the state-run SANA news agency, the authorities said security forces had detected two improvised explosive devices during field operations, which exploded while preparations for defusing them were underway.
According to preliminary investigation, one explosive device was placed inside a parked vehicle, and the other inside a roadside garbage container near the building housing the tourism authorities.
Interior chief Anas Khattab said the first blast occurred at 10:15 a.m. local time (0715 GMT), followed by a second one about eight minutes later.
Khattab added that the injured were largely security personnel, and while most suffered minor wounds, four people were undergoing surgery.
He noted that Macron's motorcade was about 10 km from the blast site at the time.
The authorities said the explosions took place outside the security perimeter designated for Macron's residence and posed no direct threat to his visit, which continued as scheduled.
Special units searched the surrounding area and found no more explosive device, while some roads remained closed as security forces continued search operations and analyzed surveillance footage and information related to the vehicle used in the attack, they added.
Shortly after the explosions, Syrian state media reported that interim Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa had received Macron at the People's Palace in Damascus for talks on bilateral ties and regional developments.
The visit, the first by a French president to Syria since 2009, later proceeded with a Syrian-French business forum, where both leaders launched joint economic committees and signed memorandums of understanding and investment agreements in sectors including ports, aviation, energy, water, healthcare, digital infrastructure and manufacturing.
Macron said France is prepared to support Syria's reconstruction and banking reforms, and emphasized that creating the conditions for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees and advancing Syria's economic recovery are among cooperation priorities.
Tuesday's explosions came amid persistent security challenges in the capital. Less than a week ago, a cafe bomb near the Palace of Justice in central Damascus killed at least nine people and wounded 20 others. In May, a car bomb outside the defense authorities killed one soldier and injured at least 18 people after security forces had attempted to defuse another explosive device nearby.
The latest incidents have heightened public concern over security in the capital. Xinhua reporters in Damascus observed unusually light traffic and fewer pedestrians on the streets on Tuesday evening, as many residents chose to stay indoors after the blasts. ■
