Following Friday's attacks in Paris, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday that the Netherlands is in a state of war with Islamic State (IS).

Attacks at six sites across the French capital claimed the lives of at least 128 people and left hundreds others injured.

IS claimed responsibility for the attacks, which were carried out by eight men armed with suicide belts and machine guns.

Rutte pointed to IS as being the enemy in the armed conflict taking place in Syria and Iraq and clarified that the Netherlands is not in a war with a religion or Islam.

The Dutch prime minister expressed condolences to France and offered all the help possible to the French authorities, DutchNews.nl reports.

Rutte added that all security organisations in the Netherlands are at a “higher” stage of alert, with border controls tightened particularly for traffic heading to and from Paris as well as at airports and railway stations.

Earlier on Saturday, French President Francois Hollande declared the attacks as constituting an "act of war organised by IS".