Iran is believed to be involved in the detention of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov who was abducted in Iraq almost two years ago by the Iranian-backed militia Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi official told Ynet.
“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.”
“We believe Iran is involved and giving the orders…only they will decide her fate,” he concluded
According to the report, two senior Trump administration officials have joined efforts to secure Tsurkov’s release: Trump hostage’s envoy Adam Boehler and Rep. Mike Waltz.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that Boehler traveled to Iraq last month to pressure Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani to find Tsurkov. According to the Qatari daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Boehler threatened Sudani with sanctions and emphasized that the U.S. holds the Iraqi government responsible for securing her release.
Boehler told the Saudi Al Arabiya outlet that the U.S. is pressuring Sudani, who “continues to claim he doesn’t know where Tsurkov is being held,” but has acknowledged that Kata’ib Hezbollah abducted her.
According to the Ynet report, Iraqi social media reports claim that Iran is pushing for a prisoner exchange deal in return for Tsurkov’s release, including the release of 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.
Tsurkov entered Iraq on her Russian passport and Israel reportedly appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene, to no avail. “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. He claimed that Sudani would like to comply with the US’s request but genuinely doesn’t know where Tsurkov is being held.
Elizabeth’s sister, Emma Tsurkov, scoffs at Iraq’s claims that her sister was transferred to Iran, telling Ynet: “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.”
Tsurkov also expressed her gratitude to the Trump administration, saying: “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 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. 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.”
“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.”
Emma also issued a statement to Reuters: “The Trump Administration has done more in just a few weeks than the previous administration did in almost two years,” she said, adding that Biden administration officials told Tsurkov’s family that there was “little they could do” since she is not a US citizen.
“I am especially grateful to SPEHA (Special Envoy) Boehler for going directly to meet with Prime Minister Sudani in Baghdad. His engagement with Sudani makes it clear that the U.S. holds him responsible for finding a way to get my sister home.”
A State Department spokesperson at Boehler’s office said: “The United States cannot tolerate hostage-taking of U.S. nationals or those of our partners such as Israel. We have and will continue to underscore with the Iraqi government the urgency of securing Elizabeth Tsurkov’s release.”
Boehler also wrote on X last week: “Elizabeth Tsurkov is a Princeton student held hostage in Iraq! The @IraqiPMO consistently made false promises to the prior administration about releasing her. BUT NOW @realDonaldTrump IS ON TO YOU,” Boehler said, tagging the official handle of Sudani’s office.
He threatened that if Tsurkov is not released, then the Iraqi prime minister’s office is “either incapable and should be FIRED or worse COMPLICIT. Bring Elizabeth home now!”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
Elizabeth Tsurkov was not an Israeli-Russian researcher. She was an anti-Israel activist who once lived in Israel for a few years. She entered Iraq illegally using her Russian passport. Let Russia and all her anti-Israel pro Iran friends worry about her