Explosions have been heard in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Television footage showed plumes of smoke rising in the sky over the city on Tuesday.
The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear and there was no immediate information about casualties.
A security official told Al Jazeera that two explosions happened in an area busy with civilians, calling it “a criminal act”.
An Al Jazeera correspondent said that two explosions were heard near the Ministry of Tourism, as well as a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying during a visit to the capital for talks with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Authorities sealed off roads after the explosions.
“The explosions surprised everyone here,” said Hitto, adding that “the situation is an extension of what happened just days before the president arrived”.
Hitto said that an explosion had taken place near the central courthouse in Damascus, which “also caused some tensions here in the city” preceding Macron’s arrival.
The situation is “pretty calm” at the Presidential Palace, where Macron and Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa currently are.
However, the explosions were “an unexpected event” to take place during the first visit by a major European leader to Damascus following the fall of the Assad regime “and reminds us how sensitive and fragile the security situation is here in the country”, said Hitto.
More to come…
