Syrian state media said troops have killed scores of al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels in an ambush near the capital, Damascus.
Wednesday's report by SANA said the rebels, belonging to the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, were killed near Oteibah lake southeast of Damascus.
In a live broadcast from the area, Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV station showed dozens of bodies scattered along an unpaved road.
An army colonel told Al-Mayadeen that his troops acted on intelligence and the rebels lost "more than 150 men" in the assault.
There was no immediate word from activists who track violence in Syria, nor any way to confirm if the rebels were from the Nusra Front or another group.
Syrian army tanks and armored personnel carriers were seen in the broadcast as were soldiers patrolling on foot.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that about 3,300 people have been killed in fighting between rebel factions trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the start of the year.
The small but powerful al Qaeda-splinter group, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been caught up in clashes with other insurgents in Syria, including al Qaeda's official Syria branch, the Nusra Front.
The fighting started over power struggles and territorial disputes and has since spread throughout rebel-held territory in Syria.
On another note, a United Nations official called on warring sides in Syria to allow aid workers to resume distribution of food and medicine in a besieged Palestinian district of Damascus. Chris Gunnes of the UNRWA relief agency called on both the forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and the rebels fighting to oust him to facilitate "safe and unhindered humanitarian access" to thousands of trapped civilians in Yarmouk camp. The call came as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged Syrian government to authorize more humanitarian staff to work inside the country, devastated by its 3-year-old conflict. Yarmouk has seen some of the worst fighting in the capital, leading to severe food shortages and widespread hunger. The UNRWA chief spoke after a rare visit to Yarmouk on Monday. REUTERS/AP