France's Macron to hold post-Assad visit to Damascus: Why the Syria stopover?

Cover image: Le président français Emmanuel Macron est accueilli par le ministre syrien des Affaires étrangères Asaad al-Shaibani à son arrivée à l'aéroport international de Damas, dans le cadre d'une visite d'État, le 6 juillet 2026. © Ludovic Marin, AFP

As Iran buries its late Supreme Leader who was killed last February, Hamas has announced it will disarm. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is going to Damascus. The visit will be the first for a French head of state since Nicolas Sarkozy met the deposed President Bachar Al-Assad in 2009. The timing of this visit raises questions, as well as the objectives of the French President when meeting his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa.