Elizabeth Tsurkov, an israeli-Russian researcher, was released from captivity in Iraq on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, after being held for over a year.She initially went missing during a research trip in March 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated several months later that she was being held by Kataib Hezbollah,an Iran-backed Shia militia.
According to her website, Tsurkov's research focuses on the Levant - a historical region encompassing present-day Israel, Syria, and surrounding areas - and specifically the Syrian uprising and civil war. She entered Iraq using her Russian passport, as confirmed by Netanyahu's office.