French President Emmanuel Macron is currently visiting Syria on the first visit by a European head of state since Bashar al-Assad's regime was overthrown. During their stay in the country, Macron and his delegation are staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus, and a few hours after they left the building this morning, an explosion occurred outside it, injuring around twenty people, according to Reuters. The French delegation had already moved some distance away from the scene and were unaware of the explosions until they were informed of them some time later.
It is not yet known who was behind the attack, but this is just one example of the climate of insecurity prevailing in the African country following the rise to power of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda commander who has changed course and is seeking to forge closer ties with the West whilst rebuilding his country after more than 13 years of civil war. Sharaa, a member of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, has pledged to build a new, inclusive order in Syria since bringing an end to more than five decades of authoritarian rule by the Assad family.
Macron, who last year led calls for the lifting of Western sanctions against Syria, was accompanied by business leaders, including the chief executives of TotalEnergies and the shipping group CMA CGM. He stated that France is willing to help rebuild Syria's economy and banking sector.