Syria says 18 wounded in Damascus blasts during Macron visit

The blasts occurred in central Damascus near the hotel where France's president spent the night, with the Elysee Palace saying his visit is ongoing.

The blasts came moments before Syrian state television announced Emmanuel Macron's arrival to the presidential palace to meet his counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The Syrian interior ministry said that "18 people, including four police officers, were injured" as a result of the two explosions caused by "two improvised devices, the first of which was placed inside a car parked on the side of the road, while the second was placed inside a garbage container".

The ministry said the devices exploded "while preparations were underway" to dismantle them.

A security source told AFP earlier the bombs were placed near the Four Seasons hotel, where Macron had spent the night.

Macron had left the hotel before the blasts took place, and they were not heard by the French presidential convoy, according to two AFP journalists traveling with them.

The second explosion occurred near Victoria Bridge in central Damascus, about two hundred meters from the hotel.

Before arriving at the presidential palace, Macron held a meeting Tuesday morning with civil society representatives at the Four Seasons Hotel. 

The explosions are the second since Thursday, when 10 people were killed in a bombing in a Damascus cafe.

This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.

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