Thailand has carried out airstrikes along its disputed frontier with Cambodia after both sides accused one another of breaching a ceasefire agreement brokered earlier this year by US President Donald Trump.
The Thai military confirmed the strikes followed clashes on Monday morning in which one soldier was killed and four others wounded. The air force said aircraft had targeted Cambodian military positions, accusing Phnom Penh of deploying heavy weaponry and repositioning combat units.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence blamed Thailand for the escalation, stating that Thai forces had attacked Cambodian troops but insisted its own forces had not retaliated despite “provocative actions for many days”. Officials in Oddar Meanchey province reported three civilians seriously injured.
The renewed fighting comes just six weeks after Trump oversaw the signing of a ceasefire to end a five‑day conflict in July that left at least 48 people dead and forced 300,000 from their homes. Despite the agreement, tensions have remained high, with both sides trading accusations of violations. Thailand announced in November that it was suspending the deal.
Former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, father of current leader Hun Manet, urged restraint. Writing on Facebook, he warned that Thailand was attempting to “pull us into retaliation” and instructed commanders to ensure discipline among troops.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul denied initiating hostilities but said the country would not tolerate breaches of its sovereignty. “Thailand will proceed rationally and with due regard for the principles of peace, security and humanity,” he said.
Authorities in Thailand ordered the evacuation of more than 385,000 civilians from border areas across four provinces. Around 35,000 were registered at shelters on Monday morning, with many more believed to be staying with relatives. Cambodia’s Ministry of Information reported that 1,157 families had also fled villages near the frontier.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who helped broker the original ceasefire, appealed for calm. As chair of the regional bloc Asean, he warned that renewed fighting risked “unravelling the careful work that has gone into stabilising relations between the two neighbours”.
Border tensions have simmered for months. In May, a brief exchange of fire killed a Cambodian soldier, sparking tit‑for‑tat actions that escalated into July’s conflict. Trump intervened at the time, warning that trade talks would be suspended unless a peace deal was reached, while Malaysia and China also pressed for an agreement.
Last month, Thailand accused Cambodia of laying fresh landmines along the border, one of which injured a Thai soldier. Cambodia reported civilian casualties after further exchanges of fire. Trump downplayed the incidents, claiming he had “stopped a war” through tariffs.
The dispute stretches back more than a century to French colonial rule in Cambodia, when the border was first mapped. The 817‑kilometre frontier has repeatedly been the scene of clashes, fuelled by nationalist sentiment on both sides.
