RIYADH: Debris from an intercepted Houthi ballistic missile injured an Arab resident and caused limited damage to a house and vehicle in Riyadh on Wednesday, Saudi Civil Defense said, in a new attack on the Saudi capital.

The missile, launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia, was intercepted and destroyed, with fragments falling in Riyadh, the authority said. Emergency procedures were implemented following the incident.

The latest interception comes after Saudi air defenses destroyed two Houthi cruise missiles over Riyadh late on Tuesday, with debris injuring four people and damaging around 15 residential homes, according to Civil Defense.

Loud explosions were heard in the capital shortly before midnight as air defenses engaged the missiles. The authority later released images showing damage to the homes.

Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, also said on Wednesday that a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh had been intercepted and destroyed.

Saudi Civil Defense subsequently lifted danger warnings issued for Riyadh and Al-Kharj governorate through its National Early Warning Platform.

Aramco building hit in Dhahran

The Kingdom dealt with a number of ballistic missiles and drones across the Kingdom on Tuesday.

Ballistic missiles launched at Dhahran and Haradh were stopped by authorities.

The Energy Ministry said in a statement that a Saudi Aramco administrative building in Dhahran was targeted leading to a "limited fire." There were no fatalities or injuries, the ministry said.

Al-Maliki said late on Tuesday that three drones were also destroyed north of Riyadh.

Saudi Cabinet says Houthis will face consequences

The Saudi government promised that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels will face consequences for their repeated attacks on the Kingdom.

In a Cabinet session chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ministers condemned the Houthi actions and vowed to protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait, which the rebels have threatened.

They also backed a coalition operation to neutralize threats posed by the group to Yemenis, international peace and security, and global trade.

Weekend attacks on civilians

On Saturday, an attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport killed 13 people and left hundreds injured.

The attack on the civilian airport was widely condemned.

The Houthis also attacked Abha’s international airport and Yemen’s Aden International Airport this week.

Video of the King Khalid attack was released by Saudi authorities and showed civilians, including many religious pilgrims who were heading to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, waiting for their flights before a bright orange flash engulf the terminal.

The dead included four Saudi citizens as well as two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a US citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese, according to the Kingdom’s aviation authority.

A day later a Pakistani civilian was killed when the same airport came under attack again.

Repeated attacks by Houthis on Saudi Arabia

The Houthis restarted the conflict in Yemen in July and promised to blockade Saudi oil going through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

The group has strong ties with the government in Tehran and are seen as a proxy for Iranian interests in Yemen.

Iran has been aiming to degrade energy supply and production in the Gulf to try to force US President Donald Trump to end the conflict with Tehran after the US and Israel started a war against the country in February.

In September, the Kingdom shutdown its East-West Pipeline after it was targeted by Iran-aligned rebel groups in Iraq.

Houthi targeting of Islamic holy cities

It’s not only energy infrastructure in the Kingdom that Iran’s proxies have targeted.

A Houthi drone was shot down south of Makkah in September, and earlier this month a drone struck a power station supplying the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

In 2017, a missile was intercepted and destroyed as it approached Makkah, the coalition said.

Makkah and Madinah are the first and second holiest cities in Islam and any attack against them or against pilgrims who visit them are highly provocative to Muslims globally.