Thai F-16 fighter jets conducted precision strikes on Cambodian military targets Thursday, marking the first use of air power in the countries’ border conflict since 2011. Thailand confirmed deploying six F-16s, with one reportedly destroying a Cambodian military unit (claimed by Thailand) near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple. Cambodia denounced the bombing as "reckless and brutal military aggression," claiming Thai jets dropped ordnance on a roadway. The escalation followed Thailand’s closure of all border checkpoints and expulsion of Cambodia’s ambassador hours earlier.
Thai authorities reported 14 dead, 13 civilians and one soldier with 46 wounded, after Cambodian rocket attacks struck a gas station, homes, and a hospital in Thailand’s Sisaket and Surin provinces. Video verified by Al Jazeera showed civilians fleeing amid explosions, while 40,000 residents evacuated to sandbag-reinforced shelters. "Artillery shells fell on people’s homes. It’s countless," one Surin woman told Thai media as attacks continued intermittently. Cambodia did not confirm civilian or military casualties on its side.
The fighting erupted after Thailand recalled its ambassador Wednesday, accusing Cambodia of planting landmines that injured five Thai soldiers, a claim Phnom Penh dismissed as "baseless." Cambodia’s PM Hun Manet urgently requested a UN Security Council meeting, condemning Thailand’s "unprovoked and premeditated military aggression." Thailand’s acting PM Phumtham Wechayachai insisted Cambodia fired first but vowed to "follow international law".
Tensions center on undemarcated zones along the 817-km border, particularly near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, awarded to Cambodia by the ICJ in 1962 but still contested. Skirmishes recurred for decades, most violently in 2011. May’s killing of a Cambodian soldier reignited hostilities, worsened by leaked calls between Cambodia’s ex-PM Hun Sen and suspended Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra that sparked a political crisis in Bangkok.
ASEAN chair Malaysia urged both nations to "stand down," while China offered mediation. Analysts warn the conflict could worsen: "Neither side wants to be seen conceding," noted Bangkok-based rights advocate Phil Robertson. Cambodia’s recent move toward military conscription and Thailand’s superior air power signal prolonged strife, with Thai officials acknowledging "further reactions" if attacks continue.