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Historic artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.

The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.

The multiple stolen pieces were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, a source stated to the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to improve safeguarding and observation methods.

The chief of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as stating that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He continued that guards at the facility and other individuals were being questioned.

The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, holds the most important cultural treasures in Syria.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at an ancient location.

The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in January 2025, four weeks after opposition groups deposed the Assad regime.

Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the civil war.

The IS organization blew up several religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the destruction as a atrocity.

Numerous artefacts were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and museums.