— SPECIAL SECURITY REPORT —

Three students of the Makor Chaim Yeshiva in the religious kibbutz Kfar Etzion were kidnapped by terrorists on Thursday night.

IDF forces conducted an extensive search – IDF Spokesperson Unit

All communication was lost with them as they were on their way home from the yeshiva, located roughly between Jerusalem and Hevron in Judea; security sources say they were taken into a vehicle driven by terrorists that stopped for them as they waited at a hitchhiking post.

The story has been under a media embargo until now, given the sensitive nature of the incident and the danger posed to the two. Several false reports concerning the event were circulated in its initial aftermath, but these are the initial details of the incident that have been permitted for publication as of now.

Massive IDF and police forces have been searching in the hours since the kidnapping to try and locate the three young students.

An IDF Spokesperson Unit statement noted that the IDF Chief of Staff has put all active units on full readiness to take action based on intelligence information.

During the search, special forces found a signal from the cell phone of one of the youths. The signal emanated from the Arab-majority city of Hevron.

According to reports, one of the captured students tried to call the police, but the call was cut off after mere seconds.

Friends of the two kidnapped students from their yeshiva called on the public to pray for the safe rescue of the two youths.

The Arab Ma’an News Agency cited local Arab sources on Friday, saying IDF forces were searching the town of Dura to the southwest of Hevron.

Palestinian media released footage of a burned-out car and IDF forces conducting searches, apparently in the aftermath of the kidnap and search.

View original Arutz Sheva publication at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/181681#.U5sLjbGLUYB