ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Saudi Arabia on Monday intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile en route to Riyadh, coming as the Iran-backed group claimed and successful strike and said they have endured 119 Saudi airstrikes over the past 24 hours as both sides continue to trade blows.

Loud blasts were heard in the Saudi capital on Monday evening, with residents receiving a warning message reading: "The area is under a hostile aerial threat. Please remain calm, stay indoors or in a safe place away from windows and doors."

Subsequently, the country's civil defense agency affirmed that the threat had passed, with spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, Turki al-Malki, saying that the incoming projectile was launched by the Houthis and had been "intercepted and destroyed."

"By the grace and assistance of God, our armed forces were able to target Khalid International Airport in the Saudi enemy's capital, Riyadh, this evening with a ballistic missile, and the strike was precise," announced Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree.

"We reiterate our warning to all global airlines and all experts, employees, workers, and travelers from every country in the world against the consequences of operating flights toward Saudi airports, as they are not safe."

The latest strikes come a day after a Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and injured more than 300, ushering in a wave of global condemnation and support for Saudi Arabia's security amid the continued conflict.

The long-range Houthi strikes come amid a counter-offensive launched by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, seeking to dislodge the rebels from the coastline along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, from where they have sought to impose a maritime blockade on Saudi maritime traffic through the Red Sea.

Saree earlier on Monday said that Saudi warplanes "conducted 119 airstrikes and missile attacks targeting civilian assets" across Houthi-controlled territory over the past 24 hours, adding that women and children were among those killed.

"The total number of Saudi airstrikes and missiles since the escalation against our country began has reached 2,177," he wrote on X.

The conflict between Riyadh and the Houthis had lain largely dormant since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. However, the latter group blamed Saudi Arabia for an airstrike on Sanaa International Airport in July, setting in motion a chain of events that culminated in a large-scale Houthi offensive that expanded their effective control over war-wracked Yemen.

US President Donald Trump has spoken of potentially entering the conflict to support Riyadh following the recent airport strikes, leading Houthi politburo member Mohammed Al Bukhaiti to tell AFP on Monday that, should Washington directly intervene, "there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region."

Updated at 22:14 with Houthi claims of successful strike