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Historic statues and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.

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

The half-dozen stolen sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, an authority stated to the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The head of domestic security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that authorities were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".

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

The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the most important cultural treasures in the country.

It features clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The museum was forced to close in 2012, one year after the beginning of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

All six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the civil war.

The militant faction destroyed numerous religious structures and historical sites at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the demolition as a violation.

Countless historical objects were also damaged or looted from historical locations and museums.