DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities said on Friday they had uncovered an explosives cache after having captured an IS-linked cell responsible for two bomb blasts during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Damascus earlier this week.

The attacks, which occurred near the hotel where Macron spent the night, cast a shadow over the first trip by a European Union head of state since Bashar al Assad was toppled in Dec 2024, as President Ahmed al Sharaa tries to rebuild the country’s image after more than a decade of conflict.

Syria’s Interior Minister Anas Khattab said that “the cell responsible for the terrorist bombings that targeted Damascus two days ago is now in our custody”.

Ahmad Dalati, head of interior security for the Damascus region, said on state television that preliminary investigations indicated “the cell was affiliated with the IS (militant Islamic State) group”.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2026