Major explosions ripped through an area in of the Syrian capital near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron had been staying, during an official visit of the French leader to Nusrah Front (Syrian AQ) founder and now self-appointed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Macron is said to be safe, after talks with Sharaa at the presidential palace, but at least 18 people were injured when explosive devices went off - an attack which was captured on video from various angles.
It appeared a double-tap explosion, leading some pundits to speculate that it could have been a drone attack. It also happened near the Ministry of Tourism in central Damascus, home to some high-end hotels as well as government buildings.
According to one eyewitness speaking to the BBC:
They said that while security forces were searching for suspicious objects after the first bomb detonated, "a second explosion occurred approximately 20 meters from the site of the first blast".
"The first explosion caused material damage but no casualties. The second explosion, however, caused injuries to several members of the public security forces and the traffic police," the eyewitness told the BBC.
Security forces later indicated one bomb had been detonated from inside a parked vehicle while another had been in a bin on the street.
#BREAKING: Syria explosion caught on camera during French President Macron visit. 18 people injured including four police officers. Macron is still in Syria. pic.twitter.com/BWen6oJbrd
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) July 7, 2026The Associated Press notes that "It was the second blast to rock the capital in a few days, and a setback for the country’s new president as he welcomed his first visit from a western leader since ousting longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad. Syria’s new rulers have wrestled with outbreaks of violence as they work to assert control, but the capital has been been largely peaceful."
And specifically of the French leader's whereabouts during the attack, "Emmanuel Macron was inside the presidential palace when the explosions happened."
⚡️Reuters: A group of explosive devices detonated near a hotel where Macron is staying in Damascus. pic.twitter.com/PrF84XBqao
— Global News Monitor (@GlobalNewsMontr) July 7, 2026"An official from the Elysee Palace said he was safe and that the meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa continued, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Macron’s whereabouts and security," the report continued.
No group has initially claimed responsibility for the attack. In the wake of Assad's overthrow by Western/Gulf sponsored jihadist groups, various foreign fighters as well as Syrian al-Qaeda and ISIS groups have pretty much had free reign in Syria.
Developing: Visuals of the Multiple Explosions in Damascus, Syria during the visit French President Macron. Macron had left the hotel for meeting with President of Syria when the blasts were reported near his hotel. pic.twitter.com/iRsktZkNeC
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) July 7, 2026President Macron will head to Ankara, Turkey next for the NATO summit and there are reports that even Sharaa is expected to be there.
Tyler Durden Tue, 07/07/2026 - 08:20Just on the eve of the annual NATO summit, and as President Trump is en route to attend the Ankara-hosted meeting, Washington has reaffirmed its vision of withdrawing from NATO leadership in order to allow other countries to shoulder the collective defense burden.
America's ambassador to the alliance told CNBC on Monday that pressuring allies to spend more - which has created tension among some European allies - reflects necessary "growing pains" rather than a crisis,
"The target is that Europe takes over the conventional defense of the European continent," Ambassador Matthew Whitaker stated. That's when he emphasized: "We’re not going away, we’re just doing less."
via Associated Press"I see these as just the challenges that we've worked through before," he continued, while commenting that there are still "laggards" which still have to reach higher and higher commitments to catch up.
At last year's summit President Trump laid out before allies the bold new defense spending target of 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) for each member country, more than doubling the prior 2% benchmark.
Leading NATO members are reportedly ready to tout a success story when it comes to a higher defense spending bar:
European NATO allies are heading into this week’s summit in Ankara convinced they have a compelling case to present to Donald Trump on defense spending, industrial cooperation and aid for Ukraine, but diplomats privately acknowledge the president remains the biggest source of uncertainty.
Speaking in the run-up to the annual summit in the Turkish capital, diplomats said the two-day gathering should showcase allies’ increased defense spending and include a string of defense industry announcements, including new letters of intent, joint projects and more transatlantic co-production.
“There is a good story to tell,” one NATO diplomat said, pointing to a sustained shift in the alliance’s burden-sharing. “The numbers don’t lie.”
The same publication writes that "According to figures compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, military outlay by European countries that are also members of NATO rose more quickly than at any time since 1953 through last year, with Germany and Spain – two countries often singled out by Trump as laggards – seeing booms in defense spending."
Hudson Institute think tank senior fellow Can Kasapoğlu has described of the view from Washington and Brussels, "When the alliance is back to its Cold War default, the question of what you are bringing to the table is getting more important."
Rutte preps a positive narrative ahead of Trump's arrival...
NATO's Rutte in Ankara:
European allies and Canada are now on a trajectory to equalize their defense spending with the U.S. pic.twitter.com/cmtp3jR7nm
He added in comments to Fox: "The nations bringing hard-power capability to NATO are going to get VIP treatment." They see Russia as a major looming threat to long-term European security, as the Ukraine war only shows signs of likely escalation, now it its fifth year.
Tyler Durden Tue, 07/07/2026 - 08:05