Security has been tightened at the Israeli embassy in The Hague for the second time in a week in response to what the city’s mayor called a “serious” threat.

Mayor Jan van Zanen issued an emergency order on Tuesday allowing police to stop and search people approaching the building and deny them access if necessary.

Extra police have been deployed to monitor the area and one side of the dual carriageway on Johan de Wittlaan, which runs past the embassy, has been closed off with barriers. Traffic has been reduced to a single lane in both directions.

The mayor did not say what had prompted the extra security measures beyond saying it was “a threat concerning the Israeli embassy that must be taken extremely seriously”.

“I am very well aware of how disruptive this is for the local area and traffic that can no longer use a section of Johan de Wittlaan,” Van Zanen said. “When I can tell you anything about changes to the situation, I will.”