Syrian authorities announced on Thursday that they had dismantled an Islamic State-affiliated cell responsible for twin bombings in Damascus on Tuesday, including attacks during French President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark visit to the Syrian capital. The Interior Ministry said security forces conducted simultaneous raids across four Damascus neighbourhoods and arrested the suspects, describing the operation as a decisive blow to the extremist group’s presence in the city.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab confirmed the arrests in a statement carried by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), stating that “the cell responsible for the terrorist bombings that targeted Damascus two days ago is now in our custody.” Khattab added that authorities would disclose the identities, roles, and affiliations of the suspects once investigations are completed. Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, commander of the Internal Security Forces for rural Damascus, later told state television that preliminary investigations indicated the cell was affiliated with the Islamic State group, which has not claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The bombings occurred on Tuesday morning near a hotel where Macron had stayed during his first visit to Syria as French president. The explosions killed one person and wounded 36 others, according to Syria’s Ministry of Health. Macron had already left the hotel when the devices detonated, and he proceeded to a meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential palace without incident. In a joint press conference after the blasts, Macron said France would “not let ourselves be destabilised” by such attacks and reiterated Paris’s support for Syria’s stability.

The arrests follow a series of raids in four Damascus districts, two of which are home to members of the Alawite minority, the sect to which former President Bashar al-Assad belonged. The Interior Ministry said the operations were conducted simultaneously across the suspects’ locations in Damascus and its countryside. Syrian officials have not released further details about the suspects’ backgrounds or the timing of the raids.

The bombings mark the latest in a string of attacks in Damascus, including a blast last week at a café near the main judicial complex that killed at least 10 people and injured more than 20. The escalation in violence poses a challenge to President al-Sharaa, who has sought to assert full control over Syria after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. His government has pledged political and economic reforms following decades of autocratic rule, aiming to reassure both domestic minorities and Western governments concerned about his past leadership of the formerly al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Macron’s visit to Damascus, the first by a European Union head of state since the fall of Assad, has also opened diplomatic and economic discussions. French Investment initiatives were highlighted as a potential avenue for post-war reconstruction, though the timing of the bombings underscored the fragile security environment. Syria joined the US-led coalition against the Islamic State in 2025, a move that contributed to the group’s near-annihilation in Iraq and Syria by 2019, though remnants continue to carry out sporadic attacks.

The Syrian government’s swift response to the bombings reflects its determination to project stability amid ongoing efforts to reintegrate the country into the international community. The arrests, if confirmed, would represent a significant counterterrorism success for al-Sharaa’s administration as it navigates the competing pressures of domestic reconciliation and external engagement.

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