//The Wire//2300Z June 22, 2026//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: TERRORIST ATTACK REPORTED IN MONTREAL AS SHOOTER CONDUCTS MULTIPLE ENGAGEMENTS THROUGHOUT RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. KEIR STARMER RESIGNS AS PRIME MINISTER. SITUATION IN LEBANON REMAINS TENUOUS AS ISRAELIS REFUSE TO HALT ATTACKS. STABBING ATTACK REPORTED IN SCOTLAND.//

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-International Events-

Qatar: Last night an industrial accident was reported at one of the main natural gas terminals in Ras Laffan, which was in the process of being restarted to resume production after the war. The Qataris claim that this was not the direct result of combat action, however the incident killed a total of 13x people, and injured roughly 50x others.

United Kingdom: This morning Keir Starmer resigned as Prime Minister. This resignation is not immediate, and is expected to result in some form of leadership contest later on.

Analyst Comment: Andy Burnham is likely to be his replacement, but this process will take a few months to develop as the formalized party efforts to select their new PM continue over the next few weeks.

Scotland: Over the weekend a stabbing attack was reported in Edinburgh. One assailant attempted to conduct a stabbing on Lieth Walk, near a row of shops and businesses. Initial reports claimed that a total of 5x people were wounded during this attack, but this remains unconfirmed at this time.

Analyst Comment: Due to the nature of the attack, the media coverage has been extensive, although very few details are known regarding how the attack began. Of note, several photos appearing to be AI-generated have circulated following this attack, so it is challenging to determine which photos are real and which are "AI-enhanced". More details will undoubtedly come in due time, which may clarify what actually happened.

Canada: This afternoon a shooting was reported in Montreal, as one assailant attempted to conduct a mass shooting in the vicinity of the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood. One gunman equipped with an SKS-type rifle and web gear, began the attack by engaging police along one of the streets of this community. Eventually, this skirmish transitioned to the Westbury Supermarche PA at the north end of Av. de Courtrai, with the shooter taking up a position inside the supermarket. As police advanced on this location and began breaching the supermarket, the shooter egressed two blocks to the southwest, where the shooter made contact with the police cordon at the corner of Av. de Courtrai and Decarie Boulevard. At this location, a close-range small arms engagement broke out between the shooter and two officers, which resulted in one officer being killed in action. During the fray, the other officer accidentally shot a bystander, who was attempting to seek cover from the shooter. After shooting the civilian, the officer broke contact and maneuvered to a different position away from the shooter, and in doing so was shot in the back. A few moments later, the shooter was neutralized by other officers who were maneuvering south down Courtrai avenue, from the grocery store.

Analyst Comment: The circumstances of how the shooting began are unclear. The initial footage of the incident begins at the grocery store, however SWAT was already chasing someone on foot in the residential neighborhood several blocks to the east of the shooting site. Also, the only victims of the shooting so far appear to be the officer that was shot by the suspect, and the civilian that was erroneously shot by police. The reasoning for why police (and especially tactical units such as SWAT) were already on the scene is possibly due to the shooter sending his manifesto to media groups before the attack began. More details are expected overnight as the shooter's identity and the sequence of events become more clear.

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Analyst Comments: In the Middle East, the status of the tentative peace deal remains uncertain, but in Switzerland, the talks appear to be continuing to some degree. The Iranian delegation did walk out after President Trump threatened to kill them during a phone interview with Fox News. Specifically President Trump threatened to kidnap/kill the negotiating team if Iran closes the Strait again in response to Israeli advances in Lebanon. Upon these remarks being broadcast, the Iranian delegation walked out of a photo op that had been planned with VP Vance, although they did not completely halt the talks.

Concerning Lebanon, PM Netanyahu has stated many times that Israeli forces will not depart Lebanon, and over the weekend the IDF continued to consolidate the gains made so far. No withdrawal of the IDF has been noted in any way, which is a non-starter the peace process, but the reason for this is probably not just about politics and attempting to assert dominance.

The tactical situation on the ground is not great and the sudden signature of the MOU (ahead of schedule) appears to have caught the IDF in a predicament. If the IDF were to halt their forward progress right now, they would be at a military disadvantage as they mostly occupy the low terrain in Tabieh, northward along the Litani River basin. The IDF has just barely gotten a foothold on the northwestern side of the Litani, infamously capturing the historic Beaufort Castle last week, which serves as the only real tactically-advantageous terrain along this eastern front. As a result, the IDF knows that they will get pounded by Hezbollah's rockets if they stay where they are, especially since they have overextended themselves to the point that a salient (or bulge in the lines) has emerged, exposing this spearhead to attacks from three sides. This vulnerability has been noted by the attack on the armored armored column a few days ago, which was advancing north in Nabatiyeh.

The IDF could of course always resolve their disadvantage in terrain by stopping their invasion of Lebanon and withdrawing to their own borders, but this is absolutely not going to happen at this point. What's far more likely is for the IDF to continue pushing until they fully seize and consolidate the high ground east of Et Taher. From there, they will be able to look down on the collection of towns that make up the greater Nabatieh area. How this will work out is anybody's guess, as the IDF is not exactly accustomed to fighting ground advances of several miles from their own borders with a serious and well-equipped adversary like Hezbollah. Bottom line: The situation in Lebanon is messy and very unlikely to be resolved anytime soon due to the military situation on the ground. As Lebanon is a central focus point for the US/Iran deal, the proverbial 'rock' has met the typical 'hard place' and this is going to be a problem for the deal moving forward.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report.
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