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At least 18 people were injured in the explosions that rocked the Syrian capital, Damascus, on July 7 during a visit by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, including four police officers, the state-run SANA news agency reported.
The first blast hit soon after Macron’s motorcade left his hotel for the presidential palace. Videos posted online showed flames and smoke billowing from a trash can when a second explosion was caught on camera a few meters away. The second blast detonated next to an ambulance parked at the scene, where around two dozen people had gathered.
Macron’s office said that the president, who was on his way to meet al-Sharaa, did not hear the blasts and the visit continued as normal.
The Syria Interior Ministry told SANA later that the blasts took place “outside the security zone designated for the French President’s residence, and did not pose any direct threat to the residence or the official visit programme, which is proceeding according to the planned schedule.”
“Preliminary findings indicate that the two explosive devices were improvised. One was placed inside a vehicle parked along the roadside, while the other was concealed in a trash container,” the news agency citied the interior ministry as saying.
The ministry added that “investigations are under way to establish the circumstances of the attack and identify those responsible.”
Macron landed in Syria a day earlier, making it the first visit to Damascus by any European Union head of state since Islamist rebels led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad more than a year ago.
It is possible that the blasts were part of an elaborate plot to assassinate the French president, though they may also have been intended simply to send a message.
The visit itself is partly meant to highlight improving security in Syria. However, the country remains far from safe. Just last week, an explosion at a café in central Damascus killed at least nine people and wounded 20 others.
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kiev is burning and now damascus, who would have ever thought??? the terrorists are getting terrorised…hehehehe
yeah, what goes around…
glory to russia and glory to the russian liberators…;)
the jews did it. israeli minister ben gvir already said he wants to take out julani so syria cant be a functioning state so israel can continue to take land and annex syrian territories.
dear al sharaa…have you got the message yet? signed, your friend donald. p.s….do you need any more perfume? hahahahahahahahaha.
the agents of chaos have not found their limit yet. but work very hard to find it. nature will replace the pirates with producers.
zelensgay and his lover macron are like some mutts itching for scratches…hehehe
many blasts of hillbilly jizz rocked my americunt anuz yesterday