Masked protesters attacked an Israeli restaurant in Melbourne, prompting calls from Jewish leaders and Israeli officials for stronger action against extremism.

A man set the door of a synagogue alight and a group of protesters stormed an Israeli restaurant in Melbourne on Friday night, the latest in a wave of antisemitic attacks in Australian cities.

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.