Thailand Conducts Airstrikes on Cambodian Military Positions Amid Escalating Border Conflict

On an unspecified recent date, military clashes escalated between Thailand and Cambodia along their 500-mile (800-kilometer) shared border, largely demarcated during French colonial rule of Cambodia. Thailand launched airstrikes targeting Cambodian military positions in response to alleged provocations, intensifying the dispute.

Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, spokesperson for the Ad Hoc Centre for Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation, announced that measures have been escalated to level 4, resulting in the complete closure of all border checkpoints along the Thailand-Cambodia border.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet accused Thai armed forces of unprovoked, premeditated, and deliberate attacks, describing them as violations of international law in a letter to Security Council President Asim Iftikhar Ahmad. Hun Manet stated that Cambodian troops responded in self-defense to safeguard Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He condemned the Thai attacks as "profoundly reprehensible," especially since Cambodia is pursuing peaceful and legal methods for resolving border issues through bilateral and international mechanisms.

Conversely, Thailand accused Cambodia of violating Thai sovereignty and international law by laying landmines within Thai territory on the disputed border and firing rockets into civilian areas earlier that morning. The Thai Foreign Ministry called on Cambodia to take responsibility for these incidents, cease attacks against civilian and military targets, and stop actions violating Thai sovereignty.

The territorial dispute and clashes have resulted in civilian casualties, causing civilians to run for cover along the border area. Analysts, including Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University, warned that relations between the two countries have deteriorated to their lowest in years and that further confrontations and escalations are likely in the coming days.

Additional political tensions exist due to the recent suspension of Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra following the leak of a phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen, in which she criticized Thai military actions during the ongoing border dispute.

On July 24, 2025, Thailand launched airstrikes on Cambodian military positions along their shared border, escalating a long-standing dispute between the two countries. The border, approximately 500 miles (800 kilometers) long and historically delineated during French colonial rule, has been a source of periodic military clashes and political tension. Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, spokesperson for the Ad Hoc Centre for Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation, announced that Thailand has escalated military measures to level 4, including the complete closure of all border checkpoints.

In response to the Thai attacks, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet accused Thailand of conducting unprovoked, premeditated assaults violating international law in a letter to United Nations Security Council President Asim Iftikhar Ahmad. He affirmed that Cambodian troops responded in self-defense to protect Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Hun Manet condemned the timing of the attacks, noting Cambodia's ongoing peaceful and legal efforts to resolve border issues bilaterally and through international avenues.

Thailand, in turn, accused Cambodia of breaching Thai sovereignty by planting landmines within Thai territory along the disputed border and firing rockets into civilian areas earlier that morning. The Thai Foreign Ministry called on Cambodia to cease attacks on civilian and military targets and to respect Thailand's sovereignty.

Analysts, including Thitinan Pongsudhirak, political science professor at Chulalongkorn University, warn that the conflict is likely to escalate further due to deep-seated tensions. The dispute has also been aggravated by political tensions involving Thailand's suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, following leaked communications with Cambodia's former leader Hun Sen criticizing Thai military actions. The ongoing confrontations have led to border closures, increased military actions, and rising casualties as fighting continues to intensify along the Thailand-Cambodia border.

On July 23, 2025, Thailand launched airstrikes targeting Cambodian military positions along the Thailand-Cambodia border, marking a significant escalation in their ongoing border dispute. The conflict centers around a 500-mile (800-kilometer) land border largely defined during French colonial rule, which has periodically sparked military clashes and political tensions between the two nations.

Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, spokesperson for Thailand's Ad Hoc Centre for Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation, announced that border security measures were escalated to level 4, involving the complete closure of all border checkpoints between the countries. Thailand's Foreign Ministry accused Cambodia of violating Thai sovereignty by laying landmines on Thai territory and firing rockets into civilian areas. Thailand has called on Cambodia to cease attacks on both civilian and military targets.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet condemned the Thai airstrikes as unprovoked and deliberate attacks that violated international law, asserting Cambodia's right to self-defense to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a letter to United Nations Security Council President Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Hun Manet criticized Thailand for the aggression, emphasizing Cambodia's commitment to peacefully resolving border issues through bilateral and international legal channels.

Political tensions have intensified further following the suspension of Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra after a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, which revealed internal dissent regarding Thailand's military actions. Analysts predict the conflict may escalate further in the coming days due to deep-seated tensions between the countries.

This latest series of confrontations includes Thailand deploying F-16 fighter jets for the airstrikes, while both nations maintain claims of sovereignty violations and accuse each other of aggression during this prolonged border dispute.

On Thursday, clashes occurred between Thai and Cambodian troops near the disputed Ta Moan Thom Temple at the border area in northwestern Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province. At least two Thai civilians were killed and others injured due to Cambodian shelling, while two Thai soldiers were also injured in the fighting. The Thai military reported that Cambodian forces initiated the conflict by deploying a surveillance drone followed by firing heavy weapons, including long-range BM21 rockets. Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, a district chief in Thailand’s Surin province, confirmed the casualties from Cambodian shelling on Thursday morning.

As a result, approximately 40,000 Thai civilians from 86 villages along the border were evacuated to safer locations. Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence stated that Thai forces attacked first, and Cambodian troops only acted in self-defense by retaliating. Former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen posted on social media that Thai military shelled two Cambodian provinces bordering Thailand—Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear—and declared that the Cambodian army must counterattack. He urged the public to remain calm and continue normal business except in border areas.

The Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh warned of continued escalation and prolonged clashes, advising Thai nationals to leave Cambodia unless absolutely necessary. Concurrently, Thailand deployed an F16 jet fighter for combat along the border. The violence follows prior incidents: on July 16, three Thai soldiers were injured by a landmine blast in the disputed border area, and on Wednesday a Thai soldier was injured and lost his right leg in another landmine explosion blamed on Cambodia by Thai authorities. Cambodia denies planting mines and claims Thai soldiers violated agreed boundaries.