Israel tightens security after ‘soldier kidnap’

Israeli police have tightened security between Jerusalem al-Qods and Tel Aviv, following reports of a soldier being kidnapped by a Palestinian group.

Police set roadblocks and stopped traffic around Ben-Gurion Airport on the highway between the two cities late Thursday night checking all vehicles crossing into the nearby West Bank.

The Israeli army’s clampdown began after a female soldier said in the early afternoon that she had seen two unknown people dragging another soldier into a car.

According to the Palestinian news agency Ma’an, a group known as Al-Qods Army had confirmed the news.

The group issued a statement saying it would provide further details “later.”

The Al-Qods Army has apparently issued a statement, saying it is holding a soldier who was captured near the Ben-Gurion airport, south-east of Tel Aviv.