A number of people have been injured after explosive devices went off in central Damascus, reportedly near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron had been staying.

A security source told the BBC the blasts were caused by two devices. Syrian media said 18 people, including four police officers, were injured.

Macron is in the capital for talks with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace. His officials said he was safe and did not hear the explosions.

After travelling to Syria, Macron is set to head to Turkey for the Nato summit. The visit “continues as planned”, according to the Elysee Palace.

Following reports of explosions in the city, videos and images on social media showed plumes of smoke and flames rising from a vehicle near a hotel in the Syrian capital.

As those reports came in, Syrian state television said that al-Sharaa had welcomed Macron to the presidential palace.

BBC Verify analysis of blast footage located the explosions at approximately 125m from the Four Seasons hotel, on a major thoroughfare running through the capital.

Writing on social media after the explosions, Macron said: “Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria.

“This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage, and determination. My visit continues.”

Macron arrived in Syria on Monday evening, becoming the first EU leader to visit Syria since al-Sharaa came to power following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. It is a trip that underlines Syria’s return to the global stage following years of international isolation.

Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander from Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority, has vowed to unify a divided country after five decades of the repressive rule of the Assad family and a 13-year-old devastating civil war.

The explosions in Damascus underline the major security challenges the authorities face posed from a range of militants including the Islamic State group, which has claimed a series of attacks on government targets in recent months.

Pro-government forces were also involved in violence against religious and ethnic minority groups that killed hundreds of people last year.

At the start of July, a bomb blast at a crowded cafe in central Damascus killed at least nine people and injured 22 others, according to Syrian state media.

Apart from security issues, Macron’s visit is also focused on Syria’s difficult economic situation, with reconstruction expected to be one of the main themes.

Additional reporting by Richard Irvine-Brown