France, May 23 -- France has stepped up police patrols around Jewish sites following the deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington. The attack is being treated as an anti-Semitic terror act. At the same time, Paris has sharply rejected Israeli claims that European governments are encouraging anti-Israeli violence.

France's interior minister told police on Thursday to "step up surveillance at sites linked to the Jewish community" after a gunman killed two Israeli embassy staff in the US capital on Wednesday.

Security measures must be "visible and dissuasive", Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in a message sent to prefects. He called for more patrols around synagogues, schools, shops and media and cultural events. ...