UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is particularly worried about the multiplication of new fronts while closely following the situation in the Middle East with great concern, said his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday.
The world is witnessing an increasing number of civilian casualties and a severe humanitarian impact on the well-being of people throughout the Middle East, and in addition, the continued attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf can have a dramatic impact on the global economy, which is still very dependent on fossil fuel, said Dujarric at a noon briefing.
The situation is also of particular concern along the Blue Line, said Dujarric, noting that over the past two days, peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recorded dozens of rockets and missiles fired into Israel claimed by Hezbollah and several airstrikes and incidents of firing from south of the Blue Line from Israel into Lebanon.
The United Nations called for exercise of restraint by relevant sides in the Middle East, said Dujarric, noting that humanitarian operations across the region are being severely affected by insecurity, supply chain disruptions and airspace closures.
International humanitarian law is non-negotiable, and civilians, including aid workers, must be protected at all times, he said.
UN chief worried about multiplication of new fronts in Middle East: spokesperson
The 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) opened on Monday in Barcelona, Spain, under the theme "The IQ Era", with a focus on intelligent infrastructure, AI connectivity and integration, enterprise-level AI applications, AI ecosystem collaboration, inclusive technology and innovation-driven transformation.
Marking the 20th anniversary of the event's presence in Barcelona, this year's MWC has drawn around 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors and partners.
More than 1,200 speakers are taking part in discussions, with country and regional pavilions and technology-themed exhibition areas representing over 100 countries and regions.
Participants include global mobile network operators, device manufacturers and technology firms.
Amid the bustling exhibition halls, attendees highlighted the pervasive impact of artificial intelligence on both personal routines and professional workflows.
"The topic I think that really impressed is the AI influence because I use it every day," said a visitor.
"AI is, I mean, more and more getting into daily life for everybody. AI is reshaping the way people work. It increases productivity," said another visitor.
Network capabilities centering around AI applications also dominated discussions, where many companies unveiled their visions for 6G technology.
"This new spectrum band will adopt ultra-massive antenna arrays and energy-efficient, lightweight engineering solutions to meet operators' needs, bridging the current 5G era and the coming 6G," said Zhao Dong, vice president of Huawei's wireless networking product line and the company's chief marketing officer.
A China Pavilion has been set up at the congress for the first time, featuring major Chinese companies including China Mobile, China Unicom, Huawei, ZTE, Honor and Xiaomi, showcasing their latest advancements in mobile communications and AI technologies.
Industry insiders believe that the collective appearance of Chinese enterprises is injecting new impetus for competition and cooperation into the global communication industry.
I'm seeing that Chinese company has made a lot of progress and they are competing very well in every technology field, especially in AI. And we've seen a lot of AI platforms, AI generative devices," said Mohamed Ben Amor, secretary-general of the Arab ICT Organization.
MWC 2026 opens in Barcelona, spotlighting 'The IQ Era'
