Damascus was rocked on Tuesday by explosions during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, the first European Union leader to visit the country since forces led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa deposed Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.A separate bomb explosion at a Damascus cafe last week killed at least nine people.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listEighteen people were reported injured in the latest explosions on Tuesday, which occurred after an initial device that security forces were defusing near the French president’s hotel detonated, followed by a second explosion some minutes later, the state news agency, SANA, reported.Al-Sharaa’s government has faced innumerable challenges since al-Assad’s ouster two years ago. Having taken control of a bitterly divided country wracked by years of civil war, which served as a theatre for outside actors such as Russia, Iran, and its various allied Shia militias, joblessness remains high and the rule of law uncertain.While responsibility for the recent spate of bombings remains unknown, conjecture is centring upon the remnants of the ISIL (ISIS) group. Its former capital, Raqqa, in northeastern Syria became synonymous with its brutal excesses, and the group remains a tangible force on the ground. The United Nations estimates the group still boasts between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters across Syria and neighbouring Iraq.ISIL “is still around and still active”, Aron Lund, a fellow at Century …
