U.S. consulate in Australia vandalized with pro-Palestinian graffiti

• A gunman opened fire last week at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, though his motive was not immediately clear.

Driving the news: Police said that a person wearing a dark hoodie was seen on security footage using a small sledgehammer to smash nine holes into the glass windows of the consulate, AP reported.

• The Sydney Morning Herald published photos showing the building graffitied with inverted red triangles, a symbol used by some pro-Palestinian activists.

What he's saying: Albanese said that "people are traumatized by what is going on in the Middle East" but urged them to "turn the heat down" in favor of "respectful political debate and discourse."

• "Measures such as painting the U.S. consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is, of course, a crime to damage property," he added.

Flashback: This isn't the first time the U.S. consulate in Sydney has been targeted.

• The consulate was graffitied in April with the words "Freee (sic) Gaza," per AP.
• Pro-Palestinian activists also graffitied the U.S. consulate in Melbourne in May.

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