Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia as border tensions reignite

Reuters

People rest in a shelter after fresh clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along their disputed border, in Buriram province, 8 December 2025.

The Thai military confirmed on Monday that it has launched airstrikes inside Cambodian territory after a deadly clash along the countries’ disputed border, marking a sharp escalation in a long-running territorial dispute.

According to a military statement, the strikes came after Cambodian forces reportedly opened fire, killing a Thai soldier and wounding additional soldiers. Cambodia, however, strongly denied instigating the violence and accused Thailand of unprovoked aggression.

The border zone, especially in eastern Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province and Cambodia’s northern areas, has long been contested — with both sides laying claim to swathes of land first demarcated during French colonial rule in 1907.

This week’s airstrikes follow a fragile ceasefire signed in October, facilitated and publicly backed by Donald Trump and Anwar Ibrahim, which had temporarily halted a five-day conflict in July that left dozens dead and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Evacuations are underway: more than 385,000 civilians in Thai border districts have been moved to safety, while Cambodian authorities have evacuated over 1,100 families from vulnerable areas.

Diplomatic efforts to calm the situation are already underway. Leaders within the regional grouping ASEAN have called for restraint — warning that further escalation could destabilise the broader Southeast-Asian region.

Sources: Reuters, AP News, Arab News, and Dawn News



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