Israeli-Russian Researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov's Circumstances of Alleged Kidnapping in Iraq Revealed

Shafaq News/ New details have emerged regarding the case of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who the Israeli government claims was kidnapped in Iraq by the Hezbollah Brigades, a claim denied by the armed faction.

According to reports from Israeli Channel 12, citing unidentified Arab sources, Tsurkov had initiated the meeting with her alleged kidnappers in Iraq as part of her preparations for her doctoral dissertation.

Tsurkov, who is conducting research on Shiite movements in Iraq with a specific focus on prominent cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, had contacted a cleric named Ahmed Alwani, expressing her desire to meet his cousin Muhammad Alwani, a senior official in the Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq. During their second meeting, the two men reportedly discovered Tsurkov's Israeli citizenship, leading them to decide to kidnap her. There were purported attempts to transfer her to Iran afterward.

Tsurkov, 36 years old, is an analyst specializing in Middle East affairs and a doctoral student at Princeton University. She had entered Iraq late last year using her Russian passport before her disappearance in March, according to the "Times of Israel."

The Iraqi government initiated an investigation into the kidnapping incident earlier this month, announced by government spokesman Basem Al-Awadi, after Israel held Baghdad responsible for ensuring the researcher's safety.

The Israeli Prime Minister's office released a statement holding the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades accountable, stating, "Elizabeth Tsurkov, the Israeli-Russian citizen who disappeared a few months ago in Iraq, is being held by the Brigades."

According to her website, Tsurkov is fluent in English, Hebrew, Russian, and Arabic. She is a fellow at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy and a research fellow at the Forum for Regional Thinking, an Israeli-Palestinian think tank based in Jerusalem.