A synagogue in Sydney was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti early Friday morning, police said, according to Reuters.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks targeting Jewish communities in Australia.
Television footage revealed several swastikas painted on the exterior of the Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah, a suburb of the city, along with a disturbing message that read, “Hitler on top.”
New South Wales Police have deployed a special task force to investigate the incident, Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna announced during a news conference.
"The people who do the sort of thing should realize we will be out in force to look for them, we will catch them and prosecute them," McKenna said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the act during a separate news conference, stating, "(There is) no place in Australia, our tolerant multicultural community, for this sort of criminal activity."
Australia has seen a surge in antisemitic incidents since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the phenomenon has intensified in recent weeks.
In early December, the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne was firebombed, in an incident that is being treated as an act of terrorism.
Days later, a car was set on fire, and two properties were vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra, which has a substantial Jewish population.
This week, the words "F- the Jews" were spray-painted on a car in Sydney.
Following the Melbourne synagogue arson, the Australian government established a dedicated task force last month to address threats, violence, and hatred against the Jewish community.