The attack, apparently the deadliest against the rebels for months, took place in Eastern Ghouta, a key rebel stronghold targeted in a chemical attack in August 2013 that killed hundreds of people.
SANA said an army unit "spotted Al-Nusra Front (jihadist) and Liwa al-Islam (Islamist) terrorists" near Damascus, and "killed 175 of them and maimed several others."
Saudis, Qataris and Chechens were among the dead, it said.
State television had earlier reported "dozens" killed, mostly non-Syrians, in a "well-organized ambush" following a tip-off.
The army also seized the rebels' weapons, the broadcaster said, following the regime's practice of using the term "terrorists" to refer to the armed opposition.
Al-Nusra Front is al-Qaeda's official affiliate in Syria and is committed to the overthrow of
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now...
and the establishment of an Islamic state.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britannia-based group with a network of contacts inside Syria, confirmed that dozens were killed in the ambush.
"Dozens of Islamist fighters were killed and maimed in an ambush by loyalist troops, with the help of Hizbullah
...
Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as
The Resistanceand purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory...
, near Otaybeh village in the Eastern Ghouta area," it said.
A government security source said most of the fighters were Jordanians or Saudis, and that they had crossed over into Syria from Jordan earlier the same day.
The source said the ambush took place at around 5:00 am (0300 GMT) and killed 156 rebels. Another 10 were taken prisoner, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
The Otaybeh area has seen several army ambushes in past months.