Anti-NATO rallies held in Athens to protest against ongoing conflicts

Around 1,000 protesters gathered in the Greek capital Athens on Tuesday, voicing their opposition to the ongoing NATO summit in neighboring Türkiye and calling for peace while expressing their dismay at the continuing military conflicts around the world.

The protests came as the two-day NATO leaders' summit opened in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday, where the heads of NATO member states are expected to discuss pathways to deliver the commitment agreed at the 2025 Hague summit to raise their defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, a long-standing demand from the United States.

However, this increased spending alongside NATO's expansion and its role in global conflicts has triggered strong public opposition in Greece, as protesters took to the streets carrying banners reading "No to NATO," "No to war," and "Free Palestine," while chanting slogans against the alliance.

Demonstrators marched from Athens' iconic Syntagma Square to the U.S. Embassy in Greece, making clear their opposition to various wars and urging support for peace.

"We are here to protest against the NATO conference that is taking place in Türkiye. We are against the war, the imperialism. We also support the Palestinian struggle against the occupation, against the genocide of Israel," said George, one of the protesters.

"We are here to say 'No' to the NATO summit taking place today and tomorrow in Ankara. We are against NATO and against the war in the Middle East. We are fighting for the freedom of peoples facing destruction, including the people of Palestine and Lebanon, who are suffering from the Israeli invasion," said another demonstrator named Azonis.

Explosions in central Damascus on Tuesday killed one and injured 36 during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit, according to Syria's Interior Ministry.

Authorities told state-run SANA that security forces detected two improvised explosive devices during field operations. The bombs exploded as preparations were underway to defuse them.

A preliminary investigation found that one device had been hidden in a parked vehicle and the other in a roadside garbage container near the tourism authority building. The investigation is ongoing.

According to French media citing sources from the French presidential palace, the incident occurred near the hotel where visiting French President Emmanuel Macron was staying.

The French presidential palace stated on Tuesday that Macron had already left his hotel and was at the Syrian presidential palace preparing for talks with interim Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa when the explosion occurred.