Explosions struck near the Damascus hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying on Tuesday.
Macron did not hear the blasts, however, and went ahead with his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa soon after, Reuters reported citing the sources.
An agency witness said explosions were heard nearby and smoke could be seen rising from the site.
Roads in the area were sealed off and security was tightened soon afterwards.
The Elysee said the blasts were not audible from the president's motorcade, and a Reuters journalist travelling with Macron's press team also did not hear anything unusual during his morning engagements.
Syrian state television later confirmed that Macron and al-Sharaa met as scheduled at the Syrian Presidential Palace.
The visit is a significant one for Syria, marking the first time a European Union head of state has travelled to the country since Assad's government was toppled in 2024.
The blasts, coming just as Macron arrived, highlight how fragile security remains in Syria even as its new leadership tries to rebuild the country's global standing.
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Al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who once led the fight against Assad, has since forged closer ties with Western and Middle Eastern nations that had long kept Damascus at arm's length.
He has positioned himself as the man tasked with rebuilding a country left devastated by 13 years of civil war, a period that also saw militant groups like the Islamic State take root in parts of Syria.
A member of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, al-Sharaa has promised to build a more inclusive political system after more than five decades of Assad family rule.
That promise, though, has been tested repeatedly, with outbreaks of sectarian violence between government forces and religious and ethnic minority groups reportedly leaving hundreds dead over the past year.
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