American students attacked with firebomb in West Bank

JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities say five American students escaped serious harm after their car was firebombed in the volatile West Bank city of Hebron.

Officials said the ultra-Orthodox seminary students were on their way to pray at a holy site when they took a wrong turn and accidentally entered a Palestinian neighborhood. The car was pelted with stones and a firebomb and went up in flames.

Police said the students got out of the vehicle and were rescued by a Palestinian resident who alerted Israeli authorities to evacuate them. Two students were lightly wounded.

Hebron is home to several hundred Jewish settlers living in fortified enclaves amid more than 150,000 Palestinians. The city is a frequent flashpoint of violence.