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

The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.

The half-dozen missing sculptures were marble creations and dated back to the Roman era, a source told the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been taken to strengthen protection and surveillance.

The chief of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as declaring that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

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

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

It includes ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, one month after rebel forces removed the Assad regime.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.

The Islamic State group demolished numerous ancient buildings and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a atrocity.

Numerous historical objects were also lost or taken from dig sites and cultural institutions.