Tasnim: Tsourkov swap secures release of Lebanese officer Amhaz

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Tasnim
11 Sep 2025 13:19

Tasnim says months of mediation ended a standoff between Iraq, Lebanon, and "Israel", paving the way for a swap involving Tsourkov and a Lebanese civil naval officer.

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Elizabeth Tsourkov, an Israeli-Russian who was released from 2 1/2 years of captivity, is seen in an ambulance upon her arrival to ‘Israel’, Wednesday, September 10, 2025. (AP)

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that the release of Israeli-Russian spy Elizabeth Tsourkov in Iraq was part of a swap deal that secured the freedom of Lebanese civilian naval officer Imad Amhaz, who was abducted by "Israel" last year after a landing operation in Batroun, northern Lebanon.

Earlier on Saturday, CCTV footage was circulated in Lebanese media showing a troop of around 25 soldiers escorting a person near #Batroun in north Lebanon.

Some reports said that this was an Israeli unit abducting a person from a chalet near Batroun's shore, with some saying the… pic.twitter.com/zDDPuLLtN8
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 2, 2024

According to the agency, the exchange resulted from special efforts and concluded a case that had remained unresolved for more than a year between Iraq, Lebanon, and "Israel".

This comes shortly after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani confirmed on Monday Tsurkov's release

US President Donald Trump also commented on the development through his Truth Social platform. He said he was “pleased to report that Tsurkov, a Princeton student whose sister is an American citizen, had been released by Kataib Hezbollah."

Trump added that she was transferred to the US Embassy in Iraq after what he described as “many months of torture.” He further declared that he would “always fight for justice” and concluded by demanding that “Hamas release the hostages now.”

According to Al Mayadeen's sources, the release came under specific conditions, including preparing for a complete withdrawal of US occupation forces from Iraq without confrontation, in an effort to shield the country from further conflict.

Who is Elizabeth Tsourkov?

Tsourkov, an Israeli-Russian national, had conducted so-called “field research” in Iraq, Syria, and occupied Palestine in recent years for the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia and the Israeli think tank Mitvim, based in occupied al-Quds. Her activities were widely regarded as a cover for espionage operations on behalf of “Israel”.

In July 2023, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that an “Israeli-Russian citizen” had been detained by an Iraqi faction, claiming she was in Iraq for academic purposes on behalf of Princeton University. It also confirmed that Tsourkov entered Iraq on her Russian passport, while Israeli officials coordinated with Russia and the US regarding her case.