On the morning of Tuesday, July 7, two bomb blasts rocked Damascus, timed to coincide with the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, who was staying nearby. This followed an uptick in similar attacks in the lead-up to his trip—notably, an explosive device that detonated behind the Syrian capital’s Palace of Justice on July 2, killing nine and wounding 22.
Macron is the first French president to visit Syria since 2009, when Nicolas Sarkozy met then-dictator Bashar al-Assad. Macron’s is also the first visit to Damascus by a European Union head of state since the Assad regime’s collapse. He is only the second prominent Western head of state to visit, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip in April.
The French president had placed the issue of foreign fighters at the top of his visit’s agenda, which suggests that the bombings sought to deliver a message on the same subject. The nature and locations of the blasts imply an intent to send political signals rather than to inflict mass casualties. The intensity of such attacks could subside if the Syrian government succeeds in convincing Macron of its plan to handle the issue of foreign fighters, backed by pledges to keep them under control and prevent any actions that might compromise French national security.
President Macron has pursued a particular policy on foreign fighters, which suggests that attacks carried a message directed at him personally, rather than at the French state. His policy is linked to his stance on what he terms “Islamic extremism” in France—which he views as a major threat—and his position regarding the Syrian government’s handling of the issue of French fighters. The government’s approach has ranged from integrating these fighters into new military and security apparatuses to allowing them to remain in camps or isolated areas, as some refuse to integrate into Syrian society.
Macron’s objection to the Syrian government’s handling of the issue, and his concern over the possible consequences, reflect the connections of French fighters with other groups inside France and their ability to mobilize the country’s Muslim community against him.
Furthermore, some of these fighters have relationships with jihadist groups in the Sahel, a region that has posed one of France’s biggest security challenges in recent years. These groups have helped dramatically roll back French influence in the region, precipitating the expulsion of French forces from several African nations. France has forfeited its military presence and bases in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Senegal, resulting in economic costs linked to the loss of access to raw materials and minerals, all amidst intensifying competition for influence in Africa among rivals such as Türkiye, China, Russia, and the U.S.
That said, the significance of Macron’s visit extends beyond the issue of foreign fighters. It comes in the context of France’s support, from the start, for Syria’s political transition process; this explains the importance of the visit for both parties. France took the lead by presenting a proposal to EU member states outlining a political and strategic vision for dealing with the new reality and helping Syrians build their future. This strategy highlighted opportunities for the EU to counter Russia, in light of its invasion of Ukraine, and to curb Iran’s role and dismantle its regional proxies, also contributing to Lebanon’s stability and broader regional security.
French officials were also among the first to visit Syria following the Assad regime’s collapse on December 8, 2024. A French diplomatic delegation visited Damascus less than 10 days later, raising the French flag was over the embassy building, closed since 2012. This was followed by a joint visit by the French and German foreign ministers on January 3 last year, during which France announced its intention to re-establish its diplomatic mission in Syria.
Prior to Macron’s visit, France’s most significant move was hosting President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Paris on May 7, 2025—a visit that appeared to serve as Syria’s way back into ties with the West. Just a week later, President al-Sharaa met U.S. President Donald Trump in Riyadh, followed by a visit to the White House in Washington and an address to the UN in New York.
Ultimately, while there is no conclusive evidence to identify the perpetrators of the Damascus attacks, their nature and timing suggest the involvement of foreign fighters—or entities linked to them. The attacks appeared to be a message to President Macron, intended to exert pressure over the issue of foreign fighters and to demonstrate the perpetrators’ ability to influence the security landscape in Syria.