The person who called police in the Mediterranean port city shortly after 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) said an explosive device had been left in a vehicle parked near the consulate, which is in a busy street.

The alert comes at a time of renewed tensions over the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, with an annual United Nations meeting under way this week where Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas plans to request full UN membership for a Palestinian state.

One of France’s biggest cities, Marseille is a melting pot of immigration and suffers from high unemployment and crime rates.