HYD: Bodies Of Kidnapped Israeli Teens Found

Hebron - Security officials say the Israeli military has discovered the bodies of three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped in the West Bank earlier this month.

They say the bodies were found Monday near the village of Halhul, near the location where the teens disappeared on June 12. 

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in exchange for releasing the information ahead of a formal announcement.  Soldiers of the Kfir brigade, Maglan unit and civilian patrol are those who discovered the bodies of the abducted teens in a shallow grave in an open area near the area of Halhul and the settlement of Telem 

The search for the teens has become a national obsession, setting off a frantic manhunt and large crackdown on the Hamas militant group.  The discovery came after the Shin Bet focused its efforts in the area over the past two days during searches for the three abducted Israeli teens.  A large number of police officers and security forces had gathered at the Halhul junction north of Hebron, near the area where the three were said to have been abducted. The area was declared a closed military perimeter.  Clashes broke out in the area between security forces and Palestinians. 

A special cabinet meeting was reportedly set to convene later Monday night.  The Knesset had cancelled all votes in the plenum on Monday evening due to “developments.”  Earlier on Monday evening, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon had announced that progress had been made in the more than two-week search for Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Fraenkel and Eyal Yifrah, reported Israel Radio