Ex-Liverpool star Yossi Benayoun suffers grenade assault on household residence in drive-by horror
Yossi Benayoun was at home when a grenade was hurled at the front door of the former Liverpool, West Ham, Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder’s property
Former Liverpool star Yossi Benayoun has survived a horrific grenade attack on his family’s home in Israel.
The ex-midfielder – who also starred for West Ham, Chelsea and Arsenal – was in the house when a motorcyclist pulled up outside. The unknown attacker hurled the device at Benayoun’s front door, before it exploded and sparked a fire, as the culprit sped away.
Police and firefighters were called to the property in Ramat Hasharon, just north of Tel Aviv, at around 11pm on Sunday. The blaze was put out shortly afterwards and while Benayoun’s home was damaged, no one was injured by the explosion.
Police are investigating it as a suspected criminal attack, rather than a terrorist incident, amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. However, Benayoun, 44, believes it was a case of mistaken identity and he was not the target of the attack.
He said: “This is definitely a mistake – I have no doubt that the grenade was not aimed at my house.
“At first I thought it was a gas cylinder explosion and we called the fire department. It was only when the police arrived at the house and found the remains of a grenade that we realised what really happened.”
A police spokesman said: “The police hotline received a report of hearing an explosion outside a house.
“Police from the Glilot station arrived at the scene and began an investigation. As a result of the explosion, damage was caused. There were no casualties.”
Benayoun made nearly 200 appearances in the Premier League and played for West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup Final defeat to Liverpool.
He later joined the Reds, where he famously scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Bernabeu Stadium.
Benayoun also became the first player to score a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League hat-trick – against Burnley, Havant & Waterlooville and Beskitas respectively – before making the switch to Stamford Bridge.
At Chelsea he won the Europa League in 2013 under his former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, before a short spell on loan at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger.
He retired from playing in 2019 after a 22-year career, scoring a total of 173 goals in 728 appearances.
