Australian police have charged a man in connection with an alleged arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue with worshippers in the building, the latest in a series of incidents targeting the nation's Jewish community.

A man has been charged after a Melbourne synagogue was set alight with more than a dozen people inside, prompting a furious response from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The 34-year-old man entered the grounds of the synagogue on Albert Street at 8pm on Friday, police said.

Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Sunday (July 6) called an alleged arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue with worshipers in the building, the latest in a series of incidents targeting the nation's Jewish community, an “attack on Australia”.