Israel launches West Bank manhunt over kidnap fears

Israeli security forces were sweeping villages Thursday near Hebron in the southern West Bank fearing that a missing Israeli may have been kidnapped by Palestinian militants, the army said.
The army is "performing extensive searches... following a police report of the suspected abduction of an Israeli citizen in the area," a military statement said.
Local media said the man was travelling with another Israeli when their vehicle suffered a flat tyre.
One of them went for help while the other remained in the vehicle and called police when his companion did not return after around 30 minutes, they reported.
Last June, the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the Hebron area triggered a series of events that led to a war in the Gaza Strip.
The incident sparked a massive manhunt in which hundreds of Palestinians were arrested and at least five killed.
In July, 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khder was kidnapped from east Jerusalem and burned to death in a suspected Jewish revenge attack.