DAMASCUS: Investigators believe that the theft of several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era from Syria’s national museum was likely the work of an individual, not an organized gang, officials said Wednesday.
The National Museum of Damascus was closed after the heist was discovered early Monday. The museum had reopened in January as the country recovers from a 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year Assad dynasty last year.
On Wednesday, a security vehicle was parked outside the main gate of the museum in central Damascus while security guards stood nearby. People weren’t allowed in because of the ongoing investigation.
Two officials from Syria’s Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said that progress has been made in the investigation and that results are expected soon. They spoke on condition of anonymity, because they weren’t allowed to speak about the details of the investigation to the media.
“God willing we will reach good results,” one of the officials said.
The country’s largest museum houses priceless antiquities. After the civil war started in March 2011, security was improved with metal gates and surveillance cameras, and authorities moved hundreds of artifacts to Damascus from around the country.
The Culture Ministry released a statement late Wednesday with drawings of the six missing statues representing the Roman goddess of Venus. The ministry posted the registration number at the museum of each of the statues of the goddess of love as well as their height, of which the highest is 40½ centimeters (around 16 inches).
The statement urged that whoever has information about the statues come forward and contact the ministry through a telephone number or email address that were provided.
The theft angered Damascus residents who said that such acts tarnish the image of Syria as the country tries to rebuild from a war that left around 500,000 people dead.
“This is not only an aggression on the Syrian state, but an aggression on Syrian civilization,” resident Waddah Khalifeh said when asked about the theft. He expressed fears that the thieves might aim to smuggle the statues and sell them abroad.
On Tuesday, the Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said that the theft didn’t affect activities at the museum and that the public was visiting the facility as usual.
But an Associated Press journalist who tried to enter the museum on Wednesday was told that all sections, including those that are outdoors, were closed because of the investigation.
The museum reopened on Jan. 8, a month after rebels ousted President Bashar Assad, ushering in a new era for the country. Fearful of looting, the museum had briefly closed after a rebel offensive ended five decades of Assad family rule.
The years of conflict had badly affected areas including the historic central town of Palmyra, once held by the Daesh group. In 2015, IS members destroyed mausoleums in Palmyra’s UNESCO World Heritage site, which is famous for its 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, other ruins and priceless artifacts.
“I hope that these pieces will be returned, because this is good for the new Syria,” said another resident, Hussein Abu Al-Kheir, referring to post-Assad Syria.
Theft of Roman statues from Syria’s main museum believed to be the work of an individual
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Theft of Roman statues from Syria’s main museum believed to be the work of an individual
- On Wednesday, a security vehicle was parked outside the main gate of the museum in central Damascus while security guards stood nearby
- People weren’t allowed in because of the ongoing investigation
UN peacekeepers say Israeli forces fired on them in southern Lebanon
- “Yesterday, peacekeepers in vehicles patrolling the Blue Line were fired upon by IDF soldiers in a Merkava tank,” UNIFIL said
- It said that both the peacekeepers and the Israeli tank were in Lebanese territory
BEIRUT: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said Wednesday that Israeli forces fired on its peacekeepers a day earlier in the country’s south, urging Israel’s army to “cease aggressive behavior.”
It is the latest such incident reported by the peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, where UNIFIL acts as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon and has been working with Lebanon’s army to support a year-old truce between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.
“Yesterday, peacekeepers in vehicles patrolling the Blue Line were fired upon by IDF (Israeli army) soldiers in a Merkava tank,” a UNIFIL statement said, referring to the de facto border.
“One ten-round burst of machine-gun fire was fired above the convoy, and four further ten-round bursts were fired nearby,” the statement said.
It said that both the peacekeepers and the Israeli tank were in Lebanese territory at the time of the incident and that the Israeli military had been informed of the location and timing of the peacekeeping patrol in advance.
“Peacekeepers asked the IDF to stop firing through UNIFIL’s liaison channels... Fortunately, no one was injured,” it said.
Last month UNIFIL said Israeli soldiers shot at its troops in the south, while Israel’s military said it mistook blue helmets for “suspects” and fired warning shots.
In October, UNIFIL said one of its members was wounded by an Israeli grenade dropped near a UN position in the country’s south, the third incident of its kind in just over a month.
“Attacks on or near peacekeepers are serious violations of (UN) Security Council Resolution 1701,” UNIFIL said on Wednesday, referring to the 2006 resolution that formed the basis of the November 2024 truce.
“We call on the IDF to cease aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers working to rebuild stability along the Blue Line,” the peacekeepers said.
Israel carries out regular attacks on Lebanon despite the truce, usually saying it is targeting sites and operatives belonging to Hezbollah, which it accuses of rearming.
It has also kept troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.
On Saturday, a UN Security Council delegation visiting Lebanon urged all parties to uphold the ceasefire.
It emphasized that the “safety of peacekeepers must be respected and that they must never be targeted,” after gunmen on mopeds attacked UNIFIL personnel last week.
