A reservist officer was seriously wounded in an explosion near an army post in southern Syria on Monday, the military said.

The cause of the blast is under investigation, the Israel Defense Forces said, though according to an initial probe, the officer was likely hit by an old Syrian mine.

The incident took place near the IDF’s Tel Kwdana post.

The reservist, in addition to being a tank officer, serves as a military rabbi.

He was taken to a hospital and his family was notified, the IDF added.

Israel has been involved militarily in Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. In the immediate aftermath, Israel occupied Syria’s demilitarized zone and destroyed most of the Assad military’s facilities in a widespread bombing campaign.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, the IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria, mostly within the UN-patrolled buffer zone.

Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.”

In recent months, the IDF has said ground troops conducted over 300 “routine operations” in southern Syria, including arresting suspected terror operatives, preventing “enemy entrenchment,” and thwarting arms smuggling to Lebanon.

The military has also been constructing a barrier, dubbed “New East,” along the Israeli-Syrian border, which resembles a trench to prevent the crossing of vehicles.