The Japan Times - Saudi coalition says intercepted missile after Houthis hit Riyadh airport

The operation came a day after explosions rattled the Saudi capital and authorities sent text messages to residents warning them of a "hostile aerial threat" targeting the city.

The Houyhid have carried out waves of strikes on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, including an attack this month that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade.

Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki said air defences "intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile" fired by the Houthis toward Riyadh, and destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in Yemen's capital Sanaa.

"We continue the process of dismantling the ballistic missile network of the terrorist Houthi militia," Al-Malki wrote on X.

The Houthis said Sunday that they had launched an attack on the airport, after the kingdom announced that flights had resumed.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had carried out "three military operations with dozens of ballistic missiles", claiming the strike on the airport "achieved its target".

Saree added the Houthis targeted King Khalid air base in Khamis Mushait and a naval base in Jazan in the kingdom's south.

The Riyadh airport closure was a major blow for Saudi Arabia, forcing the postponement of the kingdom's flagship investment conference until 2027 and disrupting travel plans for thousands of passengers.

The Dakar Rally also joined a growing list of events that were cancelled, postponed or relocated amid the fallout from the war.

Saree had earlier warned that Riyadh airport was still "unsafe" and a "military target".

"The Yemeni Armed Forces warn all international, regional and local airlines -- as well as staff and travellers -- against using King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, as it is unsafe and serves as a military target for our forces," he said.

"The Saudi regime shall bear the consequences of any operations at the airport."

Saudi Arabia and the government it backs in Yemen have come under sustained attack in recent weeks from the Houthis as a years-long truce broke down in the summer, shifting the focus of the wider US-Iran war that erupted in February.

- 'Everything is shaking' -

Later on Sunday, Saree said Saudi warplanes had carried out 56 strikes across Yemen over the previous 24 hours, targeting several provinces.

As operations resumed at Riyadh airport, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

During the meeting, Mitsotakis "responded favourably to the kingdom's request to keep the Patriot system in Saudi Arabia, given the current challenging circumstances", his office said.

Greece has deployed a battery to operate the US-made Patriot air defence system in Yanbu, a major oil export hub on the Red Sea coast.

Earlier, the Saudi-led military coalition said it intercepted at least 10 ballistic missiles.

The fighting erupted after a years-long truce between the Houthis and Yemen's Riyadh-backed government fell apart.

"The bombardment has been very heavy since this morning -- may God keep us safe. Everything is shaking because of the explosions," one resident in Saudi Arabia's Khamis Mushait told AFP on Sunday on condition of anonymity.

The kingdom's civil defence agency later said two people were injured in the south by falling debris, also reporting damage to several buildings and vehicles.

Images released by the SPA showed a building with part of its upper facade destroyed, exposing metal rods. Another image captured large windows shattered, with shards of glass strewn across the pavement and part of the road.

M.Sugiyama--JT