DAMASCUS, July 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Syrian authorities said on Wednesday that the blasts that hit central Damascus during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit a day earlier killed one person and wounded dozens.

In a statement carried by state media, the Syrian health ministry said that "the final toll from the two explosions that occurred... near the Ministry of Tourism building in Damascus has reached one dead and 36 wounded".

The blasts near the hotel where Macron had spent the night came after his departure, and moments before Syrian state media announced his arrival at the presidential palace to meet with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Macron became the first head of state from the European Union to visit Syria since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024.