There continues to be widespread coverage of the search for the three kidnapped Israeli teenagers in the West Bank. Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaer, 16, and Naftali Frenkel, 16, disappeared after hitchhiking in the Gush Etzion region on Thursday night. Israel’s government said that Hamas is responsible for the kidnapping. The Times, Telegraph and Evening Standard all report that Israeli security forces have continued arresting Hamas leaders as the search in the West Bank widens. They also say that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a rare phone conversation with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss the kidnapping. The Independent also covers the story, saying that IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz predicted a widening campaign to locate the youngsters, while the Independent i says Netanyahu warned that the operation may take some time.

The Independent online includes a separate item, reporting that a Facebook group in Israel suggests the killing of a Palestinian terrorist for every hour until the kidnapped teenagers are returned.

Meanwhile, the Guardian, Telegraph, Times, Financial Times and the online edition of the Independent all report that the United States is set to talk directly, although informally, with Iran over the escalating crisis in Iraq, which has seen the Sunni Jihadist group ISIS make significant military gains. However, the Financial Times online emphasises that the United States has ruled out any military cooperation with Iran. All titles also report that Foreign Secretary William Hague could make an announcement today that the UK is re-opening its embassy in Tehran. Bilateral relations between the two countries were restored several months ago. The potential move is viewed as an indication that the UK is also considering working alongside Iran over the Iraq violence.

The Daily Mail and the online editions of the Guardian and Telegraph all cover comments made by Hague himself yesterday, who warned that up to 400 British citizens may be fighting in Syria, with some possibly joining the ISIS offensive in neighbouring Iraq.

In the Israeli media, headlines are still dominated by the operation to locate the three kidnapped youngsters. Yediot Ahronot’s headline says that the military operation is expanding. Meanwhile, Maariv predicts a significant operation approaching. Israel Hayom emphasises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appeal to PA President Mahmoud Abbas to cut ties with Hamas, while Haaretz and Israel Radio news highlight Netanyahu’s warning that the current operation may take some time.

In commentary on the operation, Yediot Ahronot’s Alex Fishman says that it provides a rare operational opportunity for Israeli forces “to suppress Hamas’s strongholds in PA territory to the greatest extent possible.” Meanwhile, in Maariv, Yossi Melman says that the arrests of senior Hamas political leaders serves a variety of purposes. In addition to “punishment, deterrence, and the wish to satisfy the Israeli public,” it also “has an intelligence objective.”

Meanwhile, Israel Radio news says that the IDF last night stopped a Palestinian man attempting to infiltrate the West Bank settlement of Kochav Yaakov. The same media outlet also says that Israel’s Air Force attacked four sites in the Gaza Strip following an attempted rocket attack against Israel.

In other news, Haaretz reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry has indicated that the United States might cooperate with Iran over the security crisis in Iraq, which has seen ISIS make significant military gains.