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Ancient statues and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.

The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.

The six taken statues were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, an authority informed the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been implemented to strengthen protection and observation methods.

The chief of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as declaring that authorities were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

He noted that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the primary cultural treasures in the country.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at another archaeological site.

The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.

Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The IS organization blew up multiple ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a war crime.

Many artefacts were also damaged or looted from historical locations and museums.