Macron addresses risk after bombs went off outside his Syrian hotel

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said that violence would not deter Syria’s “reintegration into the community of nations” after bombs went off near his hotel, threatening to derail his historic visit to the Middle Eastern country.

Macron and Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa addressed the matter in a joint press conference after two bomb blasts went off by the hotel where the French president spent the night, injuring at least 18 people. The development cast a shadow on Macron’s visit to Syria, as it seeks to climb out of the shadow of terrorism and chaos after former president Bashar Assad’s ouster in 2024.