US returns ancient looted treasures to Syria
US authorities have returned to Syria “extraordinary” Roman mosaics and other looted treasures seized from a suspected Lebanese trafficker and a renowned American collector, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has said. Some of the pieces were smuggled out of Syria during the country's 2011-2024 civil war , while others had been missing since at least the 1980s, according to District…
US authorities have returned 36 ancient treasures, including Roman mosaics and a stone relief, to Syria, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The pieces, valued at $5 million, were seized from a suspected Lebanese trafficker and an American collector. Some of the artifacts had been missing since the 1980s, while others were smuggled out of Syria during its civil war from 2011 to 2024.
The return of the treasures was marked by a ceremony in New York, attended by Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara and US President Donald Trump's envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack. Among the items returned was a stone relief looted from the ancient desert kingdom of Palmyra while it was under ISIS control between 2015 and 2016. The District Attorney's Office described the return as historic, emphasizing that a part of Syria's history is returning home.
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