When President Emmanuel Macron returned 23 Syrian artifacts in July, it was more than a diplomatic gesture. But IS was not alone in damaging Syria’s heritage. The paper examines damage that occurred since 2016, drawing on thousands of satellite images from 200 heritage sites across Syria. “Mechanized looting” is the use of heavy machinery that removes large sections of archaeological sites in search of saleable objects. It is therefore not surprising that some of the country’s most important archaeological sites have suffered catastrophic damage in the process.