Syria troops have captured the village of Qara in the mountainous Qalamoun region along a key supply route between Damascus and Homs.
The capture of the strategic area on Tuesday comes days after pro-Assad forces launched an offensive against the town near the Lebanese border.
"After three days of fighting, the Syrian army has taken full control of Qara," a Syrian military source told AFP news agency, adding that a "large number" of rebel fighters were killed.
State media SANA also quoted a military source as saying that the army "eliminated terrorists" last gatherings and destroyed their weapons".