UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he was "deeply concerned" by ongoing violence in Syria, urging both sides to stick to a ceasefire and to troubled peace talks in Geneva, AFP reports.

"I am deeply concerned about developments on the ground, especially the attacks in Damascus yesterday and Aleppo overnight," Ban said in Vienna.

"The cessation of hostilities should go on, otherwise it will be very difficult for humanitarian workers to deliver," he told reporters.