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

The theft was discovered on Monday, when staff apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.

The half-dozen stolen statues were made of marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official stated to the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to determine the "events surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to improve safeguarding and observation methods.

The director of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as declaring that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".

He continued that security personnel at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the most important archaeological collection in Syria.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.

The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, one month after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partly ruined during the internal struggle.

The Islamic State group demolished numerous religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the damage as a violation.

Numerous cultural items were also lost or stolen from historical locations and museums.