Cambodia says Thai forces have escalated recent border clashes from small arms fire to the use of F-16 fighter aircraft, as both sides trade blame for a new wave of violence along their shared frontier.
Senate president and ruling party leader Hun Sen warned that Cambodia has already set a red line for responding to what he called Thai aggression. In a Facebook post, he urged Cambodian frontline troops to remain patient, accusing Thailand of using sustained fire since Sunday and Monday morning to provoke a response that would undermine the ceasefire and a joint peace statement between the two countries.
Thai military sources, quoted by independent media in Thailand, tell a different story. They say Cambodian troops fired first in the An Seh or Chong Bok area in Kantharalak district of Sisaket province, killing one Thai soldier and injuring two others. Thai officers describe their response as a proportional use of force intended to stop further attacks from the Cambodian side.
Hun Sen said he has cancelled other engagements to join the prime minister in directing the armed forces, while ordering authorities to help civilians fleeing frontline zones to safer areas. At the same time, he called on Cambodian athletes competing at the thirty-third SEA Games in Thailand to continue as normal and avoid any boycott.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence said in a statement on December 8 that Thai forces opened fire again from around 5:04 in the morning, targeting multiple locations, including areas near Ta Moan Thom and Preah Vihear temples and several military positions along the border. The ministry alleged that Thai troops carried out fifteen separate attacks using rifles, machine guns, artillery, and mortars, and that Thai tanks moved near Ta Moan temple.
The statement also accused Thailand of using F-16 fighter aircraft to strike areas of Choam Ksant district in Preah Vihear province and of firing gas or smoke into positions near Preah Vihear and the so-called Ghost Mountain. It said Thai forces continued heavy shelling, tank fire, and artillery until late at night, including near O Smach and Ta Khnar temple.
Thai newspaper Khaosod reported that F-16 fighter aircraft hit Cambodian military targets and dropped bombs near the Ta Krabei temple. Major international outlets, including CNA, CNN, BBC, AP, Reuters, CGTN, Al Jazeera, Nikkei Asia, DW, and France 24, have also reported Thai air operations against Cambodian positions on December 8. Thai officials have not denied using aircraft, saying only that strikes were aimed at military sites and heavy weapons, including BM-21 systems.
The renewed fighting has raised questions over the durability of a peace plan brokered two months ago under the auspices of United States President Donald Trump.
Cambodia’s Defence Ministry has rejected Thai First Army Region claims that Phnom Penh has moved heavy weapons along the border or fired BM-21 rockets into Thai territory, calling the reports an attempt to mislead domestic and international opinion and to justify new tensions. The ministry insists Cambodian forces have not violated the ceasefire or fired back in the latest incident.
At the same time, Cambodian civil society figures such as Men Nath are publicly questioning how far Thailand can advance into Cambodian territory before Phnom Penh enforces its stated red line or seeks international legal action over the dispute.
