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Ancient statues and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.

The burglary was discovered on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The half-dozen taken pieces were marble creations and originated to the Roman era, one official stated to the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that measures had been taken to improve security and surveillance.

The head of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as stating that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

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

The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the significant historical artifacts in Syria.

It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from Ugarit, where proof of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.

The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, one year after the beginning of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The Islamic State group demolished several religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the demolition as a violation.

Many artefacts were also damaged or taken from dig sites and cultural institutions.