Former Premier League player Yossi Benayoun and his family experienced a frightening grenade attack at their home in Israel.
The one-time Liverpool midfielder was at home with his family when an individual on a motorcycle approached their house and threw a grenade towards the entrance.
The grenade detonated, causing a fire as the attacker escaped.
Law enforcement and fire services were quickly dispatched to Benayoun`s house in Ramat Hasharon, near Tel Aviv.
The fire was put out soon after emergency services arrived.
Authorities are currently treating the event as a likely criminal act, not related to terrorism.
Benayoun, a celebrated Israeli footballer, believes it was a case of mistaken identity.
He stated, “It`s certainly an error; I am confident my house was not the intended target of this grenade.”
“Initially, we thought it was a gas explosion and contacted the fire department. It was only after the police arrived and discovered grenade fragments that we understood the true nature of the incident.”
Although the attack caused property damage, fortunately, no one was injured.
A police spokesperson confirmed receiving a report about an explosion at a residence.
“Officers from the Glilot station responded and have launched an investigation. The explosion resulted in property damage, but thankfully, there were no injuries,” the spokesperson added.
Yossi Benayoun, 44, played extensively in the Premier League for teams including Liverpool, West Ham, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
He retired from professional football in 2019 after a 22-year career, having scored 173 goals in 728 games.
In related news, a Palestinian journalist died, and several others were wounded when Israeli missiles hit a media location outside a hospital in Khan Younis.
Videos circulating showed a reporter on fire as people attempted to help him.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they targeted the journalist, Hassan Aslih, because of his alleged membership in Hamas and his activities under the guise of journalism.
The IDF claimed that Aslih was involved in the October 7 attacks in Israel, accusing him of documenting and sharing footage of violence and looting on social media.
Hamas has denied these accusations as untrue.
Overall, Israeli military actions reportedly resulted in at least 30 Palestinian deaths in Gaza recently, according to Hamas sources.
Hamas also marked 18 months since the conflict began with a significant rocket launch.
Approximately ten rockets were launched, with half being intercepted. Minor injuries were reported from the rocket interceptions.
