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

The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.

The multiple taken sculptures were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that actions had been implemented to improve safeguarding and observation methods.

The chief of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

He continued that museum protectors at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the primary historical artifacts in the country.

It includes historical records dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, among the foremost historical locations of the ancient world; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site.

The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and stored at secret locations to protect them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.

The Islamic State group destroyed numerous temples and other structures at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities condemned the demolition as a atrocity.

Numerous historical objects were also lost or looted from historical locations and collections.