Trump-Brokered Ceasefire Falters As Thailand Launches F-16 Airstrikes On Cambodia
Thailand launched fighter-jet bombing raids against Cambodian positions along their highly contested border, risking a complete unraveling of the ceasefire brokered by President Trump.
Reuters cites Thai officials who claim Cambodian troops first opened fire across several border positions with machine-guns and heavy weapons, killing two Thai soldiers and wounding eight. The attack prompted Thai F-16 strikes, combined with ground operations, against Cambodian forces.
Bangkok claims Cambodia violated the ceasefire deal and was positioning additional troops and long-range weapons that could threaten high-value civilian assets along the border, including an airport and a hospital.
Thailand said it launched airstrikes into Cambodia as fighting broke out in multiple areas along their disputed border, after both countries accused the other of breaching a ceasefire brokered by President Trump. More here: https://t.co/pM1S5gvuYY pic.twitter.com/KT6adyIVja
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 8, 2025
Thai officials have begun initiating evacuation plans for civilians along the border and say airstrikes only targeted military infrastructure.
"These developments prompted the use of air power to deter and reduce Cambodia's military capabilities," Thai officials told Reuters in a statement.
🚨🇹🇭🇰🇭 BREAKING: THAILAND JUST LITERALLY CROSSED THE LINE - BORDER CLASHES TURN INTO A LAND GRAB
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 8, 2025
After 2 days of firefights along the Thai–Cambodian frontier, Thailand pushed troops across the border and seized the disputed Pairachan (Prey Chan) village in Banteay Meanchey - the… pic.twitter.com/m020fnfVKm
Cambodia's defense ministry stated that Thai forces launched attacks on two locations. Those officials added that Cambodian troops had not responded.
The heavily disputed 800-kilometer (about 500-mile) Thailand-Cambodia border is rooted in long-standing territorial claims around the Preah Vihear temple area. In July, 40 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands were displaced in a bloody border skirmish between the two countries. The conflict eventually paused after a Trump-backed ceasefire deal.
Malaysia's prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, called for "both sides to exercise maximum restraint, maintain open channels of communication, and make full use of the mechanisms in place," in an X post earlier.
Ibrahim continued, "The renewed fighting risks unraveling the careful work that has gone into stabilizing relations between the two neighbours."
"Our region cannot afford to see long-standing disputes slip into cycles of confrontation," he said.
I am deeply concerned by reports of armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai forces along their common border. I offer my condolences to the families of those who have been killed or injured. The renewed fighting risks unravelling the careful work that has gone into stabilising… pic.twitter.com/PWFnFku4Z1
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) December 8, 2025
This border skirmish will likely prompt a Truth Social post from Trump threatening both sides with tariffs to quell the fighting and uphold his ceasefire deal from the fall.