ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Several regional countries, including Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, condemned the Tuesday explosions in Damascus, which resulted in several injuries, stressing solidarity with Syria.

Two explosions occurred near the Ministry of Tourism building in Damascus on Tuesday morning, leaving multiple people injured including several security members.

The incident occurred during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the Syrian capital, with several outlets reporting that it took place near the hotel where he was staying. Later in the day, Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab told state media that Macron’s motorcade was about 10 kilometers away from the site.

Khattab said most of the injured were interior ministry personnel and that the injuries were minor, except for four people who were undergoing surgery.

Iraq’s foreign ministry strongly condemned the explosions while expressing solidarity with Syria, calling the attacks “a flagrant violation of the security and stability of civilians.”

“There is no place for violence and terror in Syria,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said, condemning the attack while also reaffirming Ankara’s solidarity with Damascus, noting that it will “provide the necessary support to Syria’s efforts to establish lasting stability and security.”

The tourism ministry building is located opposite the Four Seasons Hotel, where Macron is reportedly staying.

Qatar “condemns the two explosions that occurred near the Ministry of Tourism,” the foreign ministry said, expressing Doha’s “firm position of rejecting violence and terrorism regardless of the motives and reasons.”

Macron was on the way to the Presidential Palace to meet with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa when the blasts occurred, and he did not hear any of them, according to the French Presidency.

“Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria,” wrote Macron on X, without explicity mentioning the explosions, adding: “My visit continues.”

Saudi Arabia stressed its “categorical rejection of all terrorist and extremist acts that attempt to undermine the security and stability of Syria,” according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

Macron arrived in Syria on Monday, marking the first visit from a European head of state since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.

The visit marks the first by a French president to Damascus since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, two years before longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad launched a violent crackdown against pro-democracy protests which evolved into a bloody and lengthy civil war.