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Israeli-Russian Academic Being Held by Kataeb Hezbollah in Iraq, Netanyahu Says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a briefing near the Salem military post between Israel and the West Bank, 04 July 2023. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a briefing near the Salem military post between Israel and the West Bank, 04 July 2023. (EPA)
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Israeli-Russian Academic Being Held by Kataeb Hezbollah in Iraq, Netanyahu Says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a briefing near the Salem military post between Israel and the West Bank, 04 July 2023. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a briefing near the Salem military post between Israel and the West Bank, 04 July 2023. (EPA)

An Israeli-Russian academic who went missing in Iraq a few months ago is alive and being held there by Shiite group Kataeb Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday.

A statement from Netanyhahu's office named the woman as Elisabeth Tsurkov. It said she had gone to Iraq for research purposes on behalf of Princeton University in the United States. There were no immediate details on her condition.

Tsurkov entered Iraq on her Russian passport, the statement said.

"Elisabeth Tsurkov is still alive and we see Iraq as responsible for her fate and well-being," the statement said, adding that the situation is being handled by the relevant bodies in Israel.

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Iran-Backed Iraqi Militia Vows to Continue Fighting Israel

20 November 2024, Iraq, Baghdad: A view of an empty street near Baghdad's Tahrir square during a nationwide curfew restricting movement of citizens through the census period. (dpa)
20 November 2024, Iraq, Baghdad: A view of an empty street near Baghdad's Tahrir square during a nationwide curfew restricting movement of citizens through the census period. (dpa)
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Iran-Backed Iraqi Militia Vows to Continue Fighting Israel

20 November 2024, Iraq, Baghdad: A view of an empty street near Baghdad's Tahrir square during a nationwide curfew restricting movement of citizens through the census period. (dpa)
20 November 2024, Iraq, Baghdad: A view of an empty street near Baghdad's Tahrir square during a nationwide curfew restricting movement of citizens through the census period. (dpa)

One of the most powerful Iran-backed factions in Iraq said it would continue its operations in support of Gaza despite the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.

Iraqi militias have repeatedly launched attacks on Israel from Iraq in the nearly 14 months since the Israel-Hamas war broke out.

In a statement, the Kataib Hezbollah group said that the ceasefire would not have been possible without the “resilience of Hezbollah fighters and the failure of the Zionists to achieve their objectives, making the decision solely Lebanese.”

The group said that a pause by one member of the so-called Axis of Resistance, which includes Iran-backed groups from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, would not undermine the broader “unity of fronts” strategy.

The militia also said the US had been Israel’s partner “in all acts of betrayal, killing, destruction and displacement,” and said it “will eventually have to pay for its actions.”