The Israeli government is weighing a possible broad offensive against Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after soldiers on Monday discovered the bodies of three Israeli teenagers who went missing 18 days ago — though it appears to have few good options for dealing with the Islamic group.

A team that included infantry soldiers and civilian volunteers spotted the remains of young men during a search near the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank. They were buried near a dirt road, under a layer of brush and stones, according to people who participated in the search. The three appeared to have been shot.

The discovery ended a wrenching drama for Israel that began with the June 12 disappearance of the three young men, aged 16 to 19. Israel accused Hamas of abducting the teens, who studied at religious seminaries in settlements in the West Bank and had been hitchhiking when they were grabbed. Hamas neither confirmed nor denied responsibility, but its top officials praised the kidnapping.

The ordeal prompted an Israeli sweep against the group in the Hebron area, where the youngsters had been last seen — the broadest incursion in more than a decade. Soldiers killed at least five Palestinians in and around the city over the past two weeks, including a 15-year-old boy, and arrested more than 300 people. It also triggered calls within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for an aggressive campaign against Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis over the years in suicide bombings and other attacks.

Netanyahu convened his security Cabinet after nightfall to hear what intelligence officials had pieced together regarding the kidnapping and discuss the range of possible measures against Hamas. Before it commenced, several members of his government said they sought a decision to destroy the group altogether.

“Israelis have the willingness and the fortitude necessary to endure the hardships of a long-lasting operation aimed at eradicating Hamas,” said Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon in a statement.

“Israelis have the willingness and the fortitude necessary to endure the hardships of a long-lasting operation …

“We will not stop until Hamas is completely defeated. The homes of the terrorists must be demolished and their arms caches destroyed,” he said.

Danon is a member of Netanyahu’s own center-right Likud Party. His governing coalition also includes the far-right Jewish Home Party, whose representatives are expected to take an even tougher stand in the Cabinet meeting.

But while Netanyahu himself has made strong statements against Hamas, his options for dealing with the group appeared to be limited, according to military experts.

The group’s forces are concentrated in the Gaza Strip, a territory Hamas has controlled since 2007. Israeli warplanes have struck Gaza regularly over the years, usually in response to rocket attacks from the Palestinian territory. But a broader offensive against the Gaza Strip would entail certain complications for Israel.

For one thing, it would draw barrages of rocket fire on Israel’s big cities, including Tel Aviv. In Israel’s 2012 offensive against Gaza, Hamas fired more than 1,500 rockets at Israel, killing four civilians.

And any real bid to destroy Hamas’ caches would require Israel to send ground troops to Gaza, an endeavor that would likely be bloody and unpopular.

“If the goal is to create large-scale damage to the infrastructure in Gaza, it can be done from the air,” says Shaul Shay, a retired colonel and former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council. “But if the goal is to change the strategic environment, you need boots on the ground.”

Shay said that even if Netanyahu was willing to fight a ground war in Gaza, soldiers would have to remain in the Gaza Strip for months or longer to ensure Hamas does not reconstitute its capabilities — a commitment few Israeli politicians are willing to make.

The Cabinet meeting was expected to run into the night.

Israeli media said the three teens — Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, 16 — appeared to have been killed soon after their abduction. Fraenkel held both Israeli and American citizenship. Security officials initially assessed that Hamas would try to trade the seminary students for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, but no offer was made.

In 2011, Israel freed more than 1,000 Palestinians in exchange for the return of Gilad Shalit, a soldier grabbed five years earlier near the Gaza border.

Israeli security officials had named two suspects in the current kidnapping, both Hamas activists from the Hebron area. Soldiers raided their homes several times over the past two weeks and detained family members for questioning.

Israel considers strikes on Hamas over dead teens

After the bodies of three Israeli boys are found, some government officials say they won't stop until Hamas is defeated.
Options limited

An armed pro-Russian separatist stands guard at the site of the crash of the Il-76 Ukrainian army transport plane in Luhansk June 14, 2014.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared the end of a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels in southeastern Ukraine, ignoring pressure from Russia.

"We will attack and we will liberate our land. Non-renewal of the ceasefire is our response to terrorists, rebels, looters, all those who are making fun of civilians who work paralyzing the economy of the region, who rips the payment of salaries, pensions, stipends, who undermines the railroad, destroying water pipes, people who are deprived of normal peaceful life," Poroshenko said, according to a statement posted to his official website and translated by Google.

The ceasefire expired Monday, a little more than a week after Poroshenko first put it into place. It was meant as a possible starting point toward broader peace negotiations. The pro-Russian rebels never disarmed, and the U.S. accused Russia of sending tanks and other ammunition into Ukraine during the 10-day ceasefire.

According to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, 27 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed since the beginning of the ceasefire, as fighting continued to rage.

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Poroshenko to extend the ceasefire during a conference call with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Kremlin said.

The State Department said it would support whatever decision Ukraine made with regards to extending the ceasefire.

"It takes two to implement a ceasefire, and there are still ongoing reports of fighters from Russia and Russia-backed separatists continuing to attack Ukrainian Government positions," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Monday. "There are still troops on the border. There are still armed militants in Ukraine with – who are posing a threat to the Ukrainian people."

President Barack Obama says he's sending about 200 more U.S. troops to Iraq to protect Americans and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

The announcement will bring to nearly 800 the total number of U.S. forces in and around Iraq to train local forces, secure the embassy and protect American interests.

Obama notified House and Senate leaders in a letter on Monday. Obama says the additions include security forces, rotary-wing aircraft, and support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Obama has ruled out sending combat troops back into Iraq. But he says the additional troops will be equipped for combat. He says their purpose is to protect U.S. citizens and property if needed.

Obama says the troops will stay in Iraq until security improves so that the reinforcements are no longer needed.