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Iran is believed to be involved in the detention of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped in Baghdad in 2023 by the Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi official told Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth. According to the official, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani “does not know where Tsurkov is being held," adding that "it’s a stroke of luck she’s still alive. Usually, captives don’t survive the interrogations.”
Two senior officials in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump have joined efforts to secure Tsurkov’s release: Adam Boehler and Rep. Mike Waltz. Boehler, Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs, told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya that the U.S. is pressuring Iraq’s prime minister, who “continues to claim he doesn’t know where Tsurkov is being held,” but has acknowledged that the Iran-backed Iraqi Hezbollah militia abducted her.
"Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped in Baghdad in 2023: "for the first time, there is a room for optimism
(photo: Lior Sharon)
Reuters reported Monday that Boehler traveled to Iraq about three weeks ago to meet with senior officials and attempt to break the deadlock in locating Tsurkov.
In an interview with Ynet from the United States, Emma Tsurkov, Elizabeth’s sister, said: “I’ve spoken directly with Adam Boehler several times, and I’ve also met his team. The updates are encouraging. It’s amazing that in just a few weeks of determined effort, they’ve made more progress than in the previous two years. I really hope this pressure from the Americans works soon so I can hug my sister again.”
“They’re very careful not to give me false hope, but in all my conversations with Adam Boehler, he’s been incredibly kind and patient. I don’t know how he finds the strength to speak with hostage families with such empathy," Emma Tsurkov said. "He told me the same thing Steve Witkoff said when I met him in Washington a week and a half ago — that they are working on this, that my sister is important to them, and that it’s unacceptable to them for a Princeton student to be held captive in a country allied with the U.S.”
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Addressing claims from Iraqi officials that Tsurkov may have been transferred to Iran, Emma Tsurkov said: “I’ve heard that before. If I had a dollar for every time an Iraqi official told me that, I could buy Iraq. It’s a convenient excuse they keep repeating, but it’s not true. She is not in Iran. The Iraqi government knows exactly who is holding her because the terror group detaining her is part of the Iraqi system.”
“We’re afraid to be optimistic too soon,” she added. “Until I’m holding her in my arms, it’s not over. But for the first time since the kidnapping, there’s reason for hope. She’s alive. She’s in Iraq.”
No longer branded a 'Zionist spy'
American diplomatic efforts have also impacted how Tsurkov is described on Iraqi social media. She is no longer labeled a “Zionist spy” or “CIA agent,” as she was forced to declare in a previously recorded video released by her captors. Now, social media posts refer to her as “the Israeli researcher who entered Iraq on a Russian passport, ignoring the ban on Israeli citizens.”
Tsurkov was abducted in March 2023 in Baghdad’s Karrada district. Iraqi social media reports claim Iran is pushing for a prisoner exchange deal in return for her release. The proposed deal reportedly includes freeing Emad Ahwaz, a naval officer linked to Hezbollah and captured by Israel; Iranian terrorist Reza Nouri, imprisoned in the U.S.; and an Iranian “infiltrator” held in Cyprus.
While some speculate that Tsurkov was transferred to Iran for interrogation and negotiations, an Iraqi official told Ynet that Prime Minister al-Sudani “has no precise information on her whereabouts but does know who kidnapped her.” This is the second time the U.S. has pressured al-Sudani to act, the official said. “The first time, less than a year ago, he was confident she would be released and even made promises to the Americans. It didn’t work. This time, for more than a week, the Americans have been threatening Iraq with direct economic sanctions.”
The official, who lives with his family in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, explained that Israel cannot intervene directly to secure Tsurkov’s release. He confirmed that Kataib Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia responsible for her abduction, still holds her in an undisclosed location.
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It’s possible Tsurkov was moved to Iran secretly, or Iranian intelligence agents came to Iraq to itnterrogate her, says Iraqi sourc
(Photo: Ahmad Mohamad/AFP)
He said Tsurkov was kidnapped after leaving a café with an Iraqi citizen — possibly someone who betrayed her and handed her over to the militia. “There’s full documentation and witness testimony from people on the street who reported the kidnapping to Baghdad’s security forces,” he said. “The prime minister sent police and intelligence officials to speak with the militia leaders. They promised to ‘arrange her release,’ but nothing happened. When they followed up, the response was: ‘We don’t know where she is.’”
The Iraqi official also confirmed that, for months, U.S. officials believed Tsurkov had been taken to Iran for questioning. “It’s possible she was moved there secretly, or Iranian intelligence agents were brought in to interrogate her,” he said. “It’s a miracle she’s still alive. Usually, hostages are executed during interrogations. Her foreign identity is working in her favor.”
He added that Prime Minister al-Sudani would prefer to hand her over to the Americans but genuinely doesn’t know where she’s being held. According to the official, the U.S. has demanded Iraq “resolve the case of the Israeli hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov,” who entered Iraq on her Russian passport. Israel reportedly appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene, but he has not acted. “That’s why the Americans are emphasizing her Israeli citizenship and threatening Iraq with sanctions if it doesn’t act quickly,” the Iraqi official said.
Elizabeth Tsurkov pleading in Hebrew for her release in video from her captivity: She 'confesses to working for Israel’s Mossad and the CIA and 'demands' Israel stop its 'heinous attacks.'
Nearly a year after her abduction, a video surfaced of Tsurkov pleading in Hebrew for her release. In the recording, she “confessed” to working for Israel’s Mossad and the CIA and “demanded” Israel stop its “heinous attacks.” Before her kidnapping, Tsurkov was an outspoken critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and publicly stated, “If I’m kidnapped, don’t pressure anyone to secure my release.”
Despite that, U.S. mediators are applying heavy pressure on Iraq, warning of punitive measures if Tsurkov isn’t freed soon and handed over to the Americans. According to the Qatari daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Adam Boehler has threatened Iraq with economic and diplomatic consequences, making it clear the U.S. holds Iraq responsible for ensuring her release.
While the Iraqi government says it is taking steps to locate her, there has been no cooperation from her captors. “We believe Iran is involved and giving the orders,” the Iraqi official said. Last week, Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji announced renewed efforts to locate Tsurkov, but so far, they have not succeeded. “No group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for holding the Israeli-Russian researcher,” he said.
“The Tsurkov case is directly linked to Iran,” the senior Iraqi official concluded. “Only they will decide her fate.”