Bombs Explode Near Damascus Hotel Hosting France's Macron on State Visit

Twin improvised explosive devices detonated near the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus, Syria, where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during the first Western leader state visit to Syria since Islamist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa took power in 2025. Damascus — ancient capital of one of Israel's oldest adversaries — continues to descend into instability, with multiple deadly bombings in less than a week, even as Western powers rush to normalise relations with a president with al-Qaeda roots. Scripture prophesies a catastrophic fall for Damascus: 'See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins' (Isaiah 17:1), and the city's ongoing fragility keeps that ancient prophecy in sharp geopolitical focus.