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Ancient statues and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.

The theft was discovered on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been forced from the inside.

The multiple missing statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, an authority told the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the theft of a group of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and observation methods.

The chief of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He noted that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the primary archaeological collection in Syria.

It features historical records originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where proof of the earliest writing system was found; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at Dura Europos.

The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the artifacts was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in early this year, a month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.

The IS organization demolished multiple temples and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco denounced the demolition as a violation.

Countless artefacts were also damaged or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.