Iraq says Israel ready to free Hezbollah captives as part of Tsurkov deal

An Iraqi official speaking on condition of anonymity has told The Associated Press that the U.S. and Israel are not opposed to the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel as part of a deal for the release of Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who is held in Iraq by the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group.

The 38-year-old Middle East researcher was kidnapped in 2023 while doing research in Iraq, and officials from several countries say progress is being made to secure her release.

Tsurkov marks 800 days in captivity on Thursday.

There were reports over the weekend that negotiators were very close to a deal, but the terms are complicated and Tsurkov's sister said no deal appears imminent.

Negotiators are focusing on an exchange that would include seven Lebanese captured during the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah. But Iraqi and Lebanese officials told The Associated Press the talks recently stalled over Iran's demand for the release of one of its citizens detained in Iraq for the killing of an American.

Elizabeth Tsurkov disappeared in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing research for her doctorate at Princeton University. The only direct sign of life her family has received is a November 2023 video of her broadcast on an Iraqi television station and circulated on pro-Iranian social media.

In the past few months, officials from several countries, including the Iraqi foreign minister and deputy prime minister, have confirmed she is alive and being held in Iraq by a Shiite Muslim militant group called Kataeb Hezbollah, according to her sister.

The group has not claimed the kidnapping nor have Iraqi officials publicly said which group is responsible.

Moving pieces from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the U.S.,

Emma Tsurkov, who lives in California, believes the U.S., Israel's closest ally, has the most leverage to pressure the Iraqi government for her sister's release – either by withholding arms or financial assistance. Israel, which does not negotiate directly with Iraq because the two countries have no formal relations, has less influence, she said.

Although Tsurkov entered Iraq using her Russian passport, Russia has declined to get involved in negotiating for her release, Emma Tsurkov said.

Earlier this year, a senior Israeli official said the Israeli government is working with allies in a renewed push to win the freedom of Tsurkov. Israeli officials declined to comment for this AP story.

About a month ago, a U.S. official and several former diplomats visited Baghdad to mediate for Tsurkov's release, according to a senior Iraqi political official involved in the negotiations. They held indirect talks with Iranian officials and leaders from the militant group holding her, according to this official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secretive talks.

Adam Boehler, the Trump administration's top hostage envoy, has repeatedly called for Tsurkov's release and has traveled to Iraq to press his case. "We have and will continue to underscore with the Iraqi government the urgency of securing her release," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Tuesday.

An official with a Lebanese group involved in the indirect negotiations said that, in exchange for Tsurkov's freedom, they are seeking the release of seven Lebanese prisoners, some of whom are associated with Hezbollah and a Lebanese navy officer who was kidnapped by an Israeli commando force on Lebanon's northern coast in early November. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Also involved in a possible exchange are five men in prison in Iraq for the 2022 fatal shooting of Stephen Edward Troell, a 45-year-old teacher from Tennessee. Troell was killed as he pulled up to the street where he lived in central Baghdad with his family.

Iranian citizen Mohammed Ali Ridha was convicted in the killing, along with four Iraqis, in what was described as a kidnapping gone wrong. The prospect of Ridha's release is one of the major holdups in the negotiations, Lebanese and Iraqi officials said.

Elizabeth Tsurkov is a well-known academic who was often interviewed in the media, and her research was focused on sectarianism in the Middle East, specifically Iraq.