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Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.

The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.

The multiple stolen statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source stated to the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to strengthen security and monitoring systems.

The head of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".

He continued that guards at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the primary cultural treasures in Syria.

It includes historical records tracing back to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was built at Dura Europos.

The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after insurgents removed the Assad regime.

All six 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 historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities denounced the damage as a war crime.

Countless historical objects were also lost or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.