Syria

Twin Bombings in Damascus During Macron Visit

Published 1 hour ago

Story

Above: French President Emmanuel Macron meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the People's Palace in Damascus, Syria on July 7, 2026. Image credit: Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

The Syrian government rapidly responded to these heinous attacks and worked quickly to secure the area, with President Macron not even hearing the explosions. Unfortunately, it will still take time to improve security in the country, given the instability Syria has faced over the last 15 years. Nonetheless, seemingly random attacks like this indicate that the terrorists are desperate and want to undermine Syria's recovery.

Syria Ministry of the Interior on X

Mohammed al-Basha on X

Pro-Israel narrative

Macron's trip to Damascus, hailed in Paris as a historic triumph, is in reality a shameful laundering of an Islamist regime on Israel's border, sealed with handshakes and lucrative port contracts for French companies like CMA CGM. France is abandoning its principles to cheerlead for a former al-Qaeda commander while ignoring mass killings of minorities, jihadist networks still active in the country and a government that cannot even secure its own capital.

Ynet

Narrative C

These attacks are clearly not the work of the Islamic State or pro-Assad insurgents. Rather, it is clear that Lebanese Hezbollah seeks to undermine Syria's recovery and prevent it from improving its relations with the international community. The Islamic State is not able to launch attacks at this frequency and Alawite insurgents have effectively been defeated, leaving Hezbollah as the only possible culprit.

Syria Weekly

Charles Lister on X