Thailand launched airstrikes against Cambodia on Monday as a new wave of fighting erupted between the southeast Asian neighbors, marking the potential collapse of a peace plan presided over by US President Donald Trump just two months ago.
Both sides accused the other of launching strikes along their disputed border Monday morning, after weeks of simmering tension and the earlier suspension of progress on the ceasefire agreement by Thailand.
The airstrikes targeted only military infrastructure, including “weapon depots, command centers and logistical routes assessed as direct threats, ” the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) said in a statement.
“Cambodia had mobilized heavy weaponry, repositioned combat units and prepared fire-support elements – activities that could escalate military operations and pose a threat to the Thai border area,” the RTAF statement said.
A Thai military official said that the airstrikes were retaliation for an attack earlier on Monday that killed a Thai soldier.
“The target was at Cambodia’s arms supporting positions in the area of Chong An Ma Pass, because those targets had used artilleries and mortar launchers to attack the Thai side at Anupong Base, resulting in one soldier killed and two soldiers injured.” Thai Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said.
Cambodia began targeting the Thai border at around 3 a.m. local time on Monday, the Thai army said.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense denied the RTAF allegations, calling it “false information” in a statement on X.
“Standing on the spirit of respecting all previous agreements and resolving conflicts peacefully according to international law, Cambodia did not retaliate at all during the two assaults and continues to monitor the situation vigilantly and with utmost caution,” it said.
In a separate statement, the Cambodian army accused the Thai military of launching “an attack on the Cambodian forces” at around 5.04 a.m. local time.
“It should be noted that this attack occurred after the Thai forces engaged in numerous provocative actions for many days,” it said.
About 70% of Thai civilians have been evacuated from border towns, the Thai statement said. One civilian death was reported during the evacuation process due to a “pre-existing medical condition,” it added.
Thailand and Cambodia fought a five-day border conflict in July that killed dozens of people and displaced about 200,000 on both sides of the frontier.
An initial ceasefire between the two sides was agreed on July 28 after Trump held calls with their respective leaders.
Thailand and Cambodia then signed an expanded ceasefire declaration in Kuala Lumpur in late October in a ceremony witnessed by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The moment was considered by Trump as a major diplomatic victory, and another fillip to his much vaunted – and often disputed – campaign to have ended several wars.
However, within less than a fortnight of signing, the agreement between Thailand and Cambodia began fraying.
Thailand said it was halting progress on the agreement after a landmine explosion at the border injured several Thai soldiers.
Thailand and Cambodia have fought brief skirmishes in recent decades over their disputed border and the fighting earlier was some of the most serious in years. Each side accused the other of starting the latest border flare-up and traded blame for the clashes.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
