THAILAND launched airstrikes into Cambodia on Monday following the outbreak of renewed fighting along multiple points of their long-disputed border, with both countries accusing each other of breaching a ceasefire mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
A Thai army spokesperson confirmed that at least one Thai soldier had been killed and eight wounded in the early-morning clashes, which intensified around 5:00 a.m. local time. Air support was deployed to strike Cambodian military positions.
Reuters on Monday cited Thailand’s Air Force saying Cambodia had mobilised heavy weaponry, repositioned combat units, and readied support elements capable of escalating operations.
“These developments prompted the use of air power to deter and reduce Cambodia’s military capabilities,” the statement read.
Cambodia’s defence ministry said Thai forces launched dawn attacks at two locations following days of provocations, adding that Cambodian troops had not responded.
Former Cambodian leader Hun Sen described the Thai military as “aggressors” seeking to provoke retaliation and urged his forces to exercise restraint.
“The red line for responding has already been set,” he posted on Facebook, without elaborating further.
A senior provincial official reported three Cambodian civilians had been seriously injured in the clashes. Civilians on both sides of the border are fleeing the conflict.
The Thai military said more than 385,000 people in four border districts were being evacuated, with over 35,000 already housed in temporary shelters.
Cambodian authorities reported that more than 1,100 families in Oddar Meanchey province were displaced, while opposition politician Meach Sovannara confirmed residents were fleeing artillery fire near the frontier.
The border dispute between the two countries, which stretches 817 kilometres, has existed for over a century and erupted into a five-day conflict in July, killing at least 48 people and temporarily displacing some 300,000.
The July fighting ended with a ceasefire brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Trump, who also witnessed the signing of an expanded peace agreement in Kuala Lumpur in October.
Anwar, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc then, urged both sides to exercise maximum restraint and maintain communication.
“The renewed fighting risks unravelling the careful work that has gone into stabilising relations between the two neighbours,” he said.
Tensions reignited after Thailand halted the implementation of the truce last month, citing a landmine blast that injured one of its soldiers.
Thailand has repeatedly accused Cambodia of planting new landmines along the border, a claim Phnom Penh denies. Some of the mines were believed to be newly laid, according to expert analysis of material provided by Thailand’s military.
Residents near the border reported hearing heavy artillery and small arms fire from early Monday morning. Phichet Pholkoet, of Ban Kruat district in Thailand, said: “It startled me.
The explosions were very clear. Boom boom! I could hear everything clearly. Some are heavy artillery, some are small arms.”
The latest clashes mark a dangerous escalation in a conflict that has historically flared sporadically despite regional mediation, raising concerns over civilian safety and the stability of Southeast Asia’s traditionally peaceful borders. - December 8, 2025
