Thailand uses ‘air power against military targets as planned’, army says after neighbours accuse each other of opening fire first along border
Full report: Armed clashes break out between Thailand and Cambodia
Thailand’s health minister has said that 11 Thai civilians have now been killed in the country’s conflict with Cambodia, Reuters reports.
Somsak Thepsuthin condemned Cambodia’s attack on a hospital, adding that such actions can be considered war crimes and it must take responsibility.
Thailand’s foreign ministry said earlier that Cambodian troops fired “heavy artillery” on a Thai military base on Thursday morning and also targeted civilian areas including a hospital, leading to civilian casualties.
The health minister also called on Cambodia to cease the violence that was currently raging.
The Royal Thai Army has given some further detail on today’s fatalities.
Six civilians were killed near a petrol station in Kantharalak district, Sisaket province.
Ten civilians were also injured at the petrol station site.
A further two civilians, including an eight-year-old boy, were killed in Kap Choeng district, Surin province. Two civilians injured at this site were transferred to Kap Choeng hospital.
It also cited attacks in Nam Yuen district, Ubon Ratchathani province, resulting in 1 fatality and 1 injury.
One person was injured in Ban Kruad district, Buriram province, it said.
The army said in a statement:
The Royal Thai Army condemns these violent acts against civilian targets by the Cambodian side and is prepared to undertake military operations to defend our sovereignty and citizens from these acts that violate humanitarian principles to the fullest extent.
Cambodia has long been a staunch ally of China, receiving billions of dollars in investments.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, said:
We are deeply concerned over the current developments (and) hope both sides can properly resolve issues through dialogue and consultations.
Good-neighbourliness and properly handling differences are in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides.
Guo said on Thursday that China would adopt a “fair and impartial position” in the clashes, however.
Beijing “has and will continue to in its own way do its best to promote peace and dialogue, and play a constructive role in promoting the easing and cooling down of the situation”, Guo added.
Here is the full version of the latest statement from Thailand’s ministry of foreign affairs.
It accuses Cambodia of laying landmines that have injured Thai military personnel over recent days, and of attacking Thai military bases and civilian areas on Thursday.
The Royal Thai Government condemns in the strongest terms the violations of Thailand’s sovereignty and international law, following the laying of anti-personnel landmines within Thai territory that caused injuries to Thai military personnel while Thai soldiers were patrolling on 16 and 23 July 2025. On the morning of 24 July 2025, heavy artillery was fired into the Thai military base and continued throughout the morning. The attacks also targeted Thai civilian areas, including a hospital, resulting in civilian casualties and fatalities.
Therefore, taking into consideration the severity of the situation as a result of Cambodia’s intentional and premeditated act against Thailand, the Royal Thai Government has decided to downgrade our diplomatic relations and recall the Thai Ambassador to Cambodia back, as well as requests the Government of Cambodia to recall its Ambassador to Thailand, respectively.
The Royal Thai Government urges Cambodia to cease its repeated act which constitutes a severe violation of international law. Such actions fundamentally contradict the principles of good neighborly relations and good faith, and will further undermine Cambodia’s reputation and credibility on the global stage.
The Royal Thai Government calls upon Cambodia to take responsibility for the incidents that have occurred, cease attacks against civilian and military targets, and stop all actions that violate Thailand’s sovereignty. The Royal Thai Government is prepared to intensify our self-defense measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attack and violations upon Thailand’s sovereignty in accordance with international law and principles.
Footage shows firefighters battling to extinguish a blaze at a petrol station in Kantharatak district, in Thailand’s border region.
A Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia overnight as weeks of tensions over a border dispute escalated into clashes.
Thailand’s health minister has said that 11 Thai civilians have now been killed in the country’s conflict with Cambodia, Reuters reports.
Somsak Thepsuthin condemned Cambodia’s attack on a hospital, adding that such actions can be considered war crimes and it must take responsibility.
Thailand’s foreign ministry said earlier that Cambodian troops fired “heavy artillery” on a Thai military base on Thursday morning and also targeted civilian areas including a hospital, leading to civilian casualties.
The health minister also called on Cambodia to cease the violence that was currently raging.
China’s foreign ministry on Thursday said it is deeply concerned about ongoing developments along the Thailand-Cambodia border and hopes that both sides will properly address issues through dialogue and consultations, Reuters reports.
China will play a constructive role in promoting de-escalation, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference, adding that China upholds a just and impartial stance.
Thailand condemned Cambodia on Thursday as “inhumane, brutal and war-hungry”, accusing it of targeting homes and civilian infrastructure with artillery in clashes over a disputed border, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub called on the international community to condemn Cambodia for its artillery barrage, which has killed at least one person and wounded several more.
Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet has requested the UN security council convene an “urgent meeting” over Thursday’s clashes.
Hun Manet writes in a letter to Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, president of the security council for July 2025:
Considering the recent extremely grave aggressions by Thailand, which have gravely threatened peace and stability in the region, I earnestly request you to convene an urgent meeting of the Security Council to stop Thailand’s aggression.
The letter accuses Thailand of “unprovoked, premeditated and deliberate attacks” on Cambodian positions along border areas.
Both Thailand and Cambodia have blamed each other for the clashes on Thursday.
An armed conflict that erupted on Thursday between Cambodia and Thailand has killed nine Thai civilians across three provinces, the Thai army said, Reuters reports.
Those killed included an 8-year-old boy.
A further 14 people in Thailand have been injured as a result of the fighting, the army said in a statement.
Cambodia on Thursday accused Thailand of “unprovoked military aggression” as the two sides clashed in a border dispute, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
The Cambodian foreign ministry said it condemned “in the strongest possible terms this reckless and hostile act by Thailand”.
Below is a video showing some of the most recent developments in the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.
Footage from a Thai broadcaster showed people running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker amid explosions and gunfire in Thailand’s Surin province bordering Cambodia.
China urged its citizens in Cambodia on Thursday to avoid areas near the frontier with Thailand, as the two countries’ militaries traded fire in an escalating conflict over a disputed border, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
The embassy wrote in an online post:
The Chinese Embassy in Cambodia advises Chinese citizens… to closely monitor the local security situation, remain vigilant, take enhanced precautions, ensure their personal safety.
At least two Thai civilians were killed and two others injured by shelling from Cambodia on Thursday, according to a district official, while the Thai army said it had launched airstrikes on military targets in Cambodia.
Thailand said an F-16 fighter jet had fired into Cambodia and destroyed a military target. The army said several more jets were ready to be deployed.
“We have used air power against military targets as planned,” Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters.
Cambodia’s influential former premier Hun Sen – father of current prime minister Hun Manet – said that two Cambodian provinces had come under shelling from Thailand’s military.
In a statement posted online, Hun Manet said “Cambodia has always taken a stand to solve problems peacefully, but in this case we have no choice but to respond with armed forces against armed aggression.”
Here’s an overview of the conflict as it stands:
Fatal clashes have broken out between Thai and Cambodian troops along a disputed section of their border with both countries accusing the other of provocation, after weeks of simmering tensions between the south-east-Asian neighbours. Clashes broke out near the Khmer Hindu temple, Ta Muen Thom, on Thursday morning.
Both Thailand and Cambodia accused each other of opening fire first. The Thai military said Cambodian troops had opened fire near the temple, and deployed a surveillance drone before sending in troops with heavy weapons, including rocket launchers. Cambodia has denied the claims, with its ministry of national defence saying it was the Thai military that launched the first armed assault.
Thailand’s military said it had closed all border checkpoints and that fighting was taking place at six different locations.
Cambodia’s military has launched attacks targeting civilian areas in Thailand, including a hospital, causing fatalities, Thailand’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, urging its neighbour to cease actions it said were severe violations of international law. Thailand “is prepared to intensify our self-defense measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attack and violations upon Thailand’s sovereignty in accordance with international law and principles,” the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on Thursday, Cambodia said it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level, expelling the Thai ambassador and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok. That was in response to Thailand closing its northeastern border crossings with Cambodia, withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador on Wednesday to protest a landmine blast that wounded five Thai soldiers.
The hostilities between Cambodia and Thailand that have continued to escalate in recent months were initially ignited after a Cambodian soldier was killed in May in an armed confrontation in an area both countries claim as their own.
To recap, before today’s outbreak of fighting, Cambodia said earlier on Thursday that it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level, expelling the Thai ambassador and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok.
That was in response to Thailand closing its north-eastern border crossings with Cambodia, withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador on Wednesday in protest against a landmine blast that wounded five Thai soldiers, as the AP reported.
Relations between the south-east Asian neighbours have deteriorated sharply since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in another of the several small patches of land both countries claim as their own territory.
At least one Thai civilian has been killed in the rapidly intensifying Thai-Cambodian fighting, Thailand is saying.
Three other civilians – including a five-year-old boy – were seriously injured after Cambodia fired shots into a residential area in Thailand’s Surin province, said a Thai defence ministry spokesperson, Surasant Kongsiri, cited by the Associated Press.
The Thai army said it had launched airstrikes on ground targets in Cambodia. The Cambodian defence ministry said Thailand’s army used fire jets to drop bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Clashes were ongoing in at least six areas along the border, Surasant said.
Cambodia’s defence ministry has condemned what it called Thailand’s “reckless and brutal military aggression” on Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The ministry added that Thai fighter jets had been deployed and dropped two bombs on a road, as cited by Reuters and reported earlier.
Thailand is closing all border points with Cambodia, Reuters is quoting a Thai military official as saying.
Photographs are arriving over the news wires of Thais fleeing today’s clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops.
Cambodia’s defence ministry has confirmed Thai airstrikes on the country, saying Thailand used fighter jets to drop two bombs on a road.
Reuters also quotes the Cambodian defence ministry as accusing Thailand of violating an agreement with Cambodia and opening fire on the Cambodian army.