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Valuable statues and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.

The six taken statues were crafted from marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, a source told the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and surveillance.

The director of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

He noted that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was established in 1919, holds the significant cultural treasures in the country.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known writing system was found; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site.

The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was evacuated and stored at secure places to protect them.

It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The IS organization destroyed numerous ancient buildings and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the destruction as a atrocity.

Countless artefacts were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and museums.