Israel ends search, says no soldier abducted

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - After setting up roadblocks in central Israel and freezing traffic for hours, the police and Israeli military on Friday ruled out reports that one of its soldiers had been abducted.

The dragnet -- starting early on Thursday afternoon and continuing into the evening -- stopped traffic around Ben-Gurion Airport, on the highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Israeli media reported the search was mounted after a female soldier told security officials she saw a handcuffed soldier being forced into a car.

"Following security assessments by the Israel Defence Forces, Israel Security Agency and the Israeli Police, earlier reports of the possible kidnapping of a soldier have been ruled out," the military said in a statement.

On Thursday, the Palestinian Maan news agency had said it received a statement from a militant group saying it was holding a soldier seized near the airport, Israel's main international gateway.