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Ancient statues and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.

The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that an entrance had been forced from the inside.

The multiple missing sculptures were made of marble and originated to the Roman period, one official told the media outlet.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been taken to improve security and observation methods.

The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He added that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being interviewed.

The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the significant archaeological collection in Syria.

It features ancient inscribed tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient complete alphabet was uncovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at an ancient location.

The facility was forced to close in 2012, a year after the start of the destructive conflict. The majority of the collection was removed and stored at secure places to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, four weeks after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the civil war.

The Islamic State group demolished numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a atrocity.

Numerous cultural items were also lost or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.