The Trump administration claims to have deflected a brazen attack from Houthi rebels before they were able to cause significant damage to an advanced warship. The Iran-backed group bore down on the Harry S Truman aircraft carrier on Saturday night in an attempted attack during which around a dozen drones were flung at the vessel. The US Navy launched warships in return and shot down roughly a dozen of the devices before they were able to make an impact. A senior defence official said the drones were stopped by advanced American F-16 and F-18 fighter jets "well before" they could cause any damage. The scuffle came after Donald Trump announced in a furious social media post that he had greenlit "decisive and powerful" military action aginst the Yemeni fighters. The official speaking on condition of anonymity told Fox News the fighter jets shot down 11 drones fired by the rebels meaning they failed to come close to the Truman. Trackin showed one Houthi missile failed to meet its target, splashing down harmlessly in the waters of Yemen, with the US military ultimately deciding not to take action, percieving the group posed no threat. The decision ran counter to a statement released by Mr Trump via Truth Social on Sunday stating Houthi attacks on American vessels "will not be tolerated". The President revealed on Sunday that he had ordered the US Military to launch action against "Houthi terrorists in Yemen" he claimed have "waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones". Mr Trump said: "The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective. The Houthis have choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways of the World, grinding vast swaths of Global Commerce to a halt, and attacking the core principle of Freedom of Navigation upon which International Trade and Commerce depends." "Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom. No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World." Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea confirmed the attempted attack in a statement on Sunday, calling the assault a "qualitative military operation". Sarea revealed the "operation" had involved "18 ballistic and cruise missiles" operating in conjunction with the drones. The spokesperson said: "The armed forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea, using 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in a joint operation carried out by the missile force, Drone Air Force and the naval forces."