Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia as border clashes kill soldier, trigger mass evacuations

Thailand launched airstrikes into Cambodia on Monday as heavy fighting erupted along their disputed border, shattering a ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump and plunging the region back into conflict. The clashes intensified before dawn, with Thailand confirming the death of one soldier and injuries to eight more as its forces called in air support to strike Cambodian military positions.

According to the Thai army spokesperson, the renewed violence escalated around 5:00 a.m. local time (2200 GMT). Thailand’s Air Force accused Cambodia of mobilising heavy weaponry, repositioning combat units, and preparing support elements that could trigger wider military operations.

In a statement, the Air Force said, "These developments prompted the use of air power to deter and reduce Cambodia's military capabilities."

Cambodia denied initiating the attacks. Its defence ministry said Thai forces launched dawn strikes at two locations, following days of what it described as provocative Thai military actions. The statement added that Cambodian troops had not responded.

Former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, a dominant political figure and father of current leader Hun Manet, condemned Thailand’s actions, calling its military the “aggressors”. He warned that “the red line for responding has already been set”, and urged troops to exercise restraint.

Authorities in Cambodia reported that three civilians had been seriously injured so far. Despite rising tensions, its defence ministry reiterated that Cambodian forces had not retaliated.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has long been contested, with a simmering dispute erupting into a five-day conflict in July. That fighting killed at least 48 people and displaced 300,000, before Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Trump helped negotiate a ceasefire. Both leaders later witnessed the signing of an expanded peace agreement in Kuala Lumpur.

As combat resumed Monday, Anwar — who currently chairs ASEAN — urged calm, warning, "The renewed fighting risks unravelling the careful work that has gone into stabilising relations between the two neighbours."

Residents along the frontier described the intensity of the clashes.

Phichet Pholkoet, who lives in Thailand’s Ban Kruat district, 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 humanitarian fallout grew rapidly. Thailand said more than 385,000 civilians across four border districts were being evacuated, with over 35,000 already moved to temporary shelters.

Across the border, Cambodian opposition politician Meach Sovannara described similar scenes, "I heard the artillery shelling," he said from Samroang town in Oddar Meanchey Province. Authorities there reported evacuating over 1,100 families as fighting drew closer.

With rare cross-border airstrikes between Southeast Asian nations and rising civilian evacuations, regional leaders fear the renewed conflict could escalate quickly unless both sides rein in hostilities.

(With inputs from Reuters)