Updated December 8, 2025 at 10:51 AM EST
Thailand has launched airstrikes against positions in neighboring Cambodia after fighting erupted early Monday morning between the two sides, dealing what could be a serious blow to a ceasefire agreement brokered by President Donald Trump with help from Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Inbrahim.
Thailand says at least one of its soldiers has been killed with several more wounded in the new clashes, which occurred Sunday, along the disputed border near Thailand's eastern provinces of Sisaket and Ubon Ratchathani. A statement from the Thai army says Cambodia initiated the clashes and had also launched rockets toward civilian areas, but reported no casualties.
Thailand is now evacuating civilians from the affected areas. Cambodia's defense ministry, meanwhile, blamed the Thais for launching dawn attacks on Cambodian positions but claimed its troops had not immediately retaliated. There's been no official word on casualties on the Cambodian side.
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) said its airstrikes had only targeted military infrastructure.
The long running border dispute turned into a five-day long war in July that involved heavy artillery and Thai airstrikes against Cambodian positions using both F16s and Swedish made Gripens. The conflict left at least 40 people dead and temporarily displaced hundreds of thousands before the ceasefire deal brokered by Trump later that month with help from Anwar, an expanded version of which was signed between the two countries in Kuala Lumpur in October in a ceremony attended by Trump.
The renewed hostilities follow weeks of gradually increasing tension between the two sides, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of laying fresh mines in the area in violation of the agreement, something Cambodia denies.
In November, Thailand said it was "suspending" the implementation of the agreement after two soldiers were injured by a land mine the Thai side claimed had been freshly laid in violation of the agreement. It also delayed the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers it had captured during the clashes in July. They remain in Thai custody.
Thai media is quoting the Army chief of staff saying Thailand's objective is to "render the Cambodian military ineffective for a long time". Cambodia's longtime ruler—now Senate president Hun Sen-accused Thailand of trying to provoke a reaction and urged Cambodian forces to exercise patience. Even as Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul warned that the time for negotiation is over unless Cambodia honors the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
In a post on social media, Malaysia's prime minister called for calm, urging both sides to exercise "maximum restraint" and said his country was ready to aid in efforts to avert further clashes. "Our region cannot afford to see long-standing disputes slip into cycles of confrontation," he wrote.
The border dispute has been simmering for decades and revolves broadly over a map drawn by France when it was the colonial power in Cambodia, a map Thailand claims is territorially inaccurate. In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Cambodia sovereignty over an area that includes the 1,000-year old Preah Vihear temple, claimed by both sides. Clashes between the two have been occurring on and off ever since.
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