French President Macron safe after bomb blasts near hotel in Damascus

Damascus — France's President Emmanuel Macron escaped what may have been an attempted assassination Tuesday during a visit to Syria's capital. The French presidential palace, the Elysee, said in a statement that Macron was safe and would continue his visit to Damascus after two bombs exploded outside the hotel where he spent the night.

Macron had left the hotel when the explosions took place Tuesday, and he was in the Syrian presidential palace for a meeting with his counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa and their respective delegations, according to the French presidency. 

State media cited an unnamed security official as saying the blasts were caused by explosive devices, and a source told French news agency AFP that one bomb had been placed in a dumpster and another in a vehicle near the Four Seasons Hotel.

Syrian state TV said 18 people were wounded, including four police officers, but there was no confirmation of casualties directly from officials. There was also no immediate claim of responsibility by any criminal or terrorist group. 

A large smoke plume could be seen rising from the site, and video posted on social media showed a vehicle on fire and blood-stained streets.

The explosions came days after a bomb blew up in a cafe near the Justice Palace in Damascus, killing at least 10 people and wounding 20. 

Syrian President Sharaa is a former Islamic extremist commander who led rebels to topple the country's longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad less than two years ago. He has disavowed his past as an al-Qaeda-linked militant and vowed to usher Syria into a new era of democracy, forging ties with the U.S. and European nations over the last year.

His government has continued battling the remnants of the ISIS terror group, and the U.S. and Israel have also continued carrying out strikes against ISIS targets in Syria.