French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Syria on Monday evening, making him the first Western leader to visit the nation since last year’s rise to power of Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former member of al-Qaeda.
Macron flew into Damascus for the historic visit on an Air Force jet equipped with Elbit Systems’ Directed Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) designed to defend aircraft against infrared-guided missile threats, particularly those launched from man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS).
The fully automatic and autonomous DIRCM system employs an advanced electro-optic turret and laser technology to disrupt or jam the missile's tracking ability by optically breaking its lock on the target. This interference aims to prevent the missile from maintaining its course toward the aircraft – thereby protecting everyone on board.
Haim Stern, a director of Business Development and Marketing at Elbit Systems, was quoted in a company blog as saying that the DIRCM systems provide “a fundamental level of protection” against surface-to-air missiles which is “important for virtually all aircraft, regardless of their mission or region.”
In its mission to provide defense to aircraft, the company supplies security systems to Israeli commercial aircraft as well as for the IDF.
Outside Israel, Elbit has also supplied its technology to many other nations. In total, its systems have been active on planes and helicopters for over a combined 500,000 hours. Several NATO nations such as Germany and Italy, and others such as Brazil, use it extensively in their respective air forces.
French-Israeli defense relations
The presence of Israeli defense technology on Macron’s flight to Syria comes despite French opposition to IDF technology and to Israel’s defense industry in recent years.
In June 2024, France banned Israeli defense companies from the Eurosatory military defense exhibition in Paris, and at last month's 2026 event, several Israeli stands were boarded up by French authorities. Many in Israel’s defense industry believe that the moves are partly based on economic interests, such as eliminating competition for French arms companies.
Although Macron came out in support of Israel and its right to self-defense immediately after October 7, France’s view of Israel has shifted since then, evidenced by its decision to halt the flow of military aid to the Jewish state in the autumn of 2025. France is also opposed to Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon. It was among the countries that declared a Palestinian state in 2025, joining Norway, Spain, and Ireland’s 2024 recognition.
Historic visit
Macron’s trip this week is aimed at furthering economic and political relations between Syria and France – as well as discussing developments in the Middle East, most notably the Israel-Iran conflict. He later flew to Turkey for the 36th NATO summit in Ankara.
The French president’s visit represents an opportunity to continue the work that Syria and France began in May 2025, when Sharaa – who has also begun building positive relationships with other Western leaders, such as US President Donald Trump – visited Paris to discuss lifting sanctions on Damascus.
It is the first visit by a French president to Damascus since 2009, symbolizing a significant next step in the partnership between the two countries.
“I have come to express France’s commitment to the Syrian people” “for a sovereign Syria, united in its diversity and at peace with its neighbors. Together, let’s open a new chapter of stability and peace,” Macron wrote in a post on X/Twitter.
Despite these optimistic words, just minutes after Macron left to meet Sharaa in the presidential palace on Tuesday morning, explosive devices detonated near his hotel, injuring at least 18 people. Macron didn’t hear the explosions and arrived safely at his meeting with the Syrian president.
Like neighboring Lebanon, Syria was a French Mandate territory after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Lasting from 1923 to 1946, the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon partitioned the territories into the modern-day independent nations of Syria and Lebanon.
The French president’s visit to Syria comes as Paris hopes to support the Middle Eastern country. Macron has made several visits to the region, notably to Lebanon in January 2025 and Saudi Arabia in December 2024.