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Historic sculptures and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.

The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.

The six stolen statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, a source told the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to determine the "events surrounding the disappearance of a collection of artifacts", and that actions had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and surveillance.

The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He continued that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.

The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the significant historical artifacts in the country.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known writing system was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century synagogue that was built at an ancient location.

The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was removed and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The militant faction demolished multiple religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a violation.

Many cultural items were also damaged or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.