According to sources, two figures have now emerged as frontrunners to be the head of the political bureau: Khalil Al-Hayya and Khaled Meshaal. Hayya, 65, a Gaza native and Hamas’s chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, has held senior roles since at least 2006, according to the US-based NGO the Counter-Extremism Project (CEP).

Although the United States, under all administrations, has continued to conduct attacks against ISIS positions, the recent killing of the three Americans in Syria explains the intensification of U.S. operations. “It’s essentially about showing ISIS that if it carries out attacks against American interests, it must understand that there will be very serious consequences,” comments Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project in Berlin.

Protests against the mullah regime in Iran continue to escalate. There are reports of hundreds of deaths. Terrorism expert [CEP Senior Director] Hans-Jakob Schindler explains what distinguishes this protest from previous ones and what makes it so dangerous for the mullahs.

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed about the situation in Iran. “A Human Rights group says more than 500 people have been killed in Iran's government crackdown on the largest protests in several years. Iran blames the bloodshed on foreign interference with the nationwide demonstrations now into their third week…”

Protests against the mullah regime in Iran continue to escalate. There are reports of hundreds of deaths. Terrorism expert [CEP Senior Director] Hans-Jakob Schindler explains what distinguishes this protest from previous ones and what makes it so dangerous for the mullahs.

This is a typical case, says terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in Berlin and New York. "Basically, Berlin and Germany are important areas for Hezbollah to recruit sympathizers, spread propaganda, and acquire funds, for example through donations," Schindler says.

The problem: although the wave of demonstrations is widespread, there is a lack of leadership. “The moment has not yet come when the regime is seriously in danger. What is currently missing is a central organization of the protests and a vision for the time after. There are no leaders,” Hans-Jakob Schindler, head of the Berlin think tank Counter Extremism Project, told our editorial team. “But what is even more crucial is that parts of the regime must become disloyal to the leadership. That is not yet the case, but given the enormous scale of the economic crisis, it could lead to disruptions in the power structure in the medium term. A revolution must be organized, and it also needs sympathizers on the other side.”