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

The burglary was found on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.

The multiple stolen statues were crafted from 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 "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that actions had been implemented to enhance security and monitoring systems.

The head of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He added that security personnel at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.

The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the most important cultural treasures in Syria.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from historical site, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was built at an ancient location.

The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was removed and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.

Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.

The Islamic State group destroyed multiple ancient buildings and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the destruction as a violation.

Countless historical objects were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.