Irish troops in Syria are investigating a blast that caused minor injuries to one soldier and damage to the army's armoured personnel carrier.

At around 10am local time, Irish troops were on patrol when the as of yet unidentified device hit their MOWAG vehicle.

The troops returned with warning fire before going back to base to investigate the likely source. The 35-strong patrol was left unhurt by the incident and initiated an immediate investigation.

It is unclear if the blast was caused by an IED - improvised explosive device - or stray explosives from nearby heavy fighting taking place in Qulamoun province near Damascus.

As a result of this latest power grab between the regime of Bashar al-Assad and opposition factions, over 20,000 Syrians this week alone have escaped through the Syrian border into the town of Arsal - a vital conduit for opposition forces smuggling arms as well as people.

Aid agencies such as World Vision and the Red Cross are assisting refugees as they cross the border illegally.

The 119-strong Irish Unit in the Golan Heights in Syria is part of the UN's Disengagement Observation Force (UNDOF) which monitors disengagement between Syrian and Israel and has been in place since the end of the Yom Kippur war in 1974.

The UNDOF mandate is entirely unrelated to the current Syrian armed conflict and force commander will report to the UN in completion of the investigation.

This latest incident is not the first time that UNDOF mission has suffered some impact of the Syrian conflict. On November 6th, shelling and crossfire landed near the troop's vehicles.

The Irish army presence is as a reserve force, giving support to troops from Figi, the Philippines, led by an Indian force commander and his unit.

John Doyle is head of the international centre conflict resolution at Dublin City University (DCU).