Two bombs exploded near the hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron held meetings on Tuesday, Reuters reported citing Syrian state media, though the French president's office said he did not hear the blasts and continued with his scheduled engagements.
The explosions took place in a busy area between Syria's Tourism Ministry and the National Museum, opposite the Four Seasons Hotel, where Macron was meeting civil society representatives.
Syria's state news agency reported that 18 people were injured in the blasts, including four police officers.
The first explosion occurred shortly after Macron's motorcade left for the presidential palace. Reuters footage showed flames and smoke rising from a trash can as a second blast was captured on camera a few metres away.
The second explosion took place near an ambulance parked at the scene, where around two dozen people had gathered. Thick black smoke and flames were seen rising from the area near shops as emergency teams worked to control the fire.
Reuters footage showed Macron's motorcade travelling towards the presidential palace before the explosions. Later photographs showed Macron meeting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and other Syrian officials and military officers.
Syria's state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV, citing a security source, said internal security forces had launched search operations to identify those responsible. Roads were sealed off and security measures were tightened following the blasts, a security source told Reuters.
The French Presidency said the explosions were not audible from Macron's motorcade. A Reuters journalist travelling with the French president's press group also said they did not hear the blasts or notice any disruption during Macron's morning engagements.
The French president's office said Macron would continue with his planned schedule for the day.
Macron's Syria visit amid political transition
Macron's visit was aimed at highlighting Syria's political transition under Sharaa, who has sought closer ties with Western and Middle Eastern countries that had distanced themselves from former President Bashar al-Assad.
Sharaa is attempting to rebuild a country devastated by 13 years of war, during which militant groups, including Islamic State, established a presence in parts of Syria.
The latest blasts come after a bomb attack at a Damascus cafe last week killed nine people and injured 20 others. No group claimed responsibility for that attack.
Islamic State has claimed a series of attacks on Syrian government forces since February, when the group announced what it described as a renewed phase of operations against Sharaa's government.
Sharaa, a member of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, has promised to establish an inclusive political order following the end of more than five decades of Assad family rule. However, his government has faced challenges from violence involving pro-government forces and members of religious and ethnic minority communities, with hundreds killed last year.
