Gaza City - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he was "deeply grieved" at the scenes he witnessed in Gaza following a three-week Israeli offensive, adding they were "heartbreaking."

He added he was "appalled" also at the damage done to the world body's Gaza City headquarters.

"I'm just appalled. I'm not able to describe how I am feeling at this sight," he said of the compound, which was was struck by several Israeli shells late last week.

Beirut - Visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concerns over the firing of Katyusha rockets from Lebanon into Israel.

"I am concerned for the situation in the south, any additional aggression threatens the stability of UNSCR 1701. I call on everyone in Lebanon and Israel to control themselves to maintain stability," Ban, who arrived in Beirut late Friday, told the Lebanese parliament

Last week, the tension in southern heightened after unidentified militants fired several rockets into the northern Israeli settlement prompting Israel to fire back at areas where the rockets where launched from.

Beirut  - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Beirut late Friday as part of his Middle East tour to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Ban landed amid heavy security at Beirut International Airport. He was scheduled to meet Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, premier Fouad Seniora and House Speaker Nabih Berri on Saturday.

He will also deliver a speech at the Lebanese Parliament, during which he will address the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Ban will then head to south Lebanon to visit the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.

Ramallah - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Ramallah Friday morning for talks with Palestinian caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Talking first to Fayyad, Ban is scheduled to have lunch with Abbas before heading to Ankara in the afternoon for the next leg of his Middle East trip.

Ban, meeting with Israeli leaders in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Thursday after talking to the Egyptians in Cairo a day earlier, said "the elements are in place" for a truce to be reached "reasonably soon."

New York  - The UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN mission in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) for 12 months so it can pursue its tasks of securing peace and protect civilians in the region.

The UN mission will be reconfigured to adjust to its tasks and demands by the Chadian government. The mission is designed so it can take over the current 3,300 peacekeepers of the European Union deployed a year ago to the area when tensions arose between the two African nations.