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Elizabeth Tsurkov, a citizen of both Russia and Israel, was abducted while doing work for the Ivy League school, according to a July statement from Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
The Iran Observer posted the unauthenticated video clip on X on Monday, Nov. 13 claiming Tsurkov is an operative with Mossad — the national intelligence agency of Israel.
"I worked for the Mossad and CIA," a translation of the video reads.
In the video, she says she coordinated protests in Iraq.
"We worked on fueling tensions in order to facilitate inter-Shia clashes," the video translation says.
The 36-year-old was abducted by members of the Shiite group Kataeb Hezbollah, a radical Iran-backed militia group, Netanyahu's office said. No group has claimed responsibility.
The video first appeared on Al Rabiaa TV, a station that is associated with Shiite political parties, according to the New York Times.
Tsurkov had just walked out of a cafe in the Iraqi capital Baghdad when she was abducted, the Times said, noting she had been in Iraq since January conducting academic research. She also was a fellow with the Washington-based group New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy,
"No efforts have been made to release me," Tsurkov says at the end of the video.
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