Israeli security forces swept the West Bank on Saturday for more clues in the case of three teenagers who disappeared two days prior. Evidence gathered so far has led Israeli authorities to believe that the missing persons were abducted, a senior military official told reporters.

"We believe that they have indeed been kidnapped," the official said on Saturday, adding that the main suspects were Palestinian militants.

Israeli authorities "could not confirm if they are alive or dead," he added.

The details of the three teenagers' disappearance remain unclear. Local media reported that after leaving their yeshiva – religious seminary – on Thursday night, they had planned to hitchhike to their West Bank settlement homes.

Israeli police – working together with the Palestinian Authority - reportedly detained at least 12 individuals connected with the case and had prevented hundreds of residents from leaving the southern West Bank city of Hebron. On Saturday, they deployed more personnel to the area to expand the search.

"We need more boots on the ground to deal with this serious development. We need to be able to track them down, we need to use all of the capabilities at our hands in order to bring this to a quick end," the senior official said.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinian government have been high in recent weeks. Following the break down in peace talks, relations deteriorated further when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the formation of a unity government with Hamas aimed at consolidating power over both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

kms/slk (AP, AFP, Reuters)