Trump-brokered ceasefire faces collapse as Thailand launches air strikes on Cambodia

• Thai fighter jets struck Cambodia Monday, targeting military positions amid renewed border clashes.
• One Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians were killed; hundreds of thousands evacuated on both sides.
• Cambodia condemned the attacks as aggression, while Thailand cited military threats from its neighbor.

Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian territory on Monday, targeting military positions as border hostilities flared once again, undermining a fragile ceasefire previously brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Each side blamed the other for initiating the clashes, which erupted during the night and intensified before dawn, spreading to multiple locations. Officials reported one Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians killed in the fighting. Thailand said the strikes aimed to cripple Cambodia’s long-term military capability.

"The objective of the army is to cripple Cambodia’s military capability for a long time to come, for the safety of our children and grandchildren," Thai army chief of staff General Chaipruak Doungprapat said. Bangkok claimed the strikes were in response to Cambodia mobilizing heavy weaponry and repositioning combat units, while Phnom Penh accused Thailand of “inhumane and brutal acts” and stressed it had not retaliated.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul emphasized that his government would do whatever necessary to defend national territory. “There will be no talks. If the fighting is to end, (Cambodia) must do what Thailand has set,” he said. Cambodia’s defence ministry insisted its forces remained committed to the ceasefire.

The conflict has prompted large-scale evacuations. Thailand moved 438,000 civilians across five border provinces, while Cambodian authorities reported hundreds of thousands displaced. Thai television footage showed crowded evacuation centers and residents sheltering in bunkers, while verified videos depicted smoke plumes from Thai airstrikes.

The renewed clashes mark the fiercest fighting since July, when a five-day exchange of rockets and artillery killed at least 48 people and displaced 300,000 before Trump intervened. Tensions have escalated since Thailand suspended last month’s de-escalation measures, citing landmines that wounded soldiers, though Cambodia denies laying them.

Thailand’s military advantage over Cambodia is clear, with superior personnel, budgets, and weaponry. Both countries have disputed sovereignty along their 817-kilometer border for more than a century, with previous flare-ups over temples and skirmishes contributing to a long history of tension.

Regional leaders called for restraint. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, ASEAN chair, urged calm and open communication channels. Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen warned against provocation, urging frontline forces to remain patient as “the aggressors have been firing all kinds of weapons.”