ALBAWABA- Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have erupted into deadly violence, with Thai airstrikes killing at least 12 people, including 11 civilians and one soldier, in the most serious military escalation along their disputed border in years.
The strikes, confirmed by both sides, targeted Cambodian military positions, including a road near the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, drawing international concern over potential war crimes, as reported by CNN.
The conflict flared Thursday, a day after a Thai soldier lost his leg to a landmine near the contested zone. In apparent retaliation, Thailand launched F-16 airstrikes on multiple flashpoints, intensifying a border dispute that has simmered for decades.
The two countries share a 500-mile (800-kilometer) frontier, drawn during French colonial rule, and frequently marred by military standoffs and nationalistic tensions.
Thailand accused Cambodia of firing rockets into Thai civilian areas, while Cambodia’s Defense Ministry condemned the Thai strikes as "brutal, barbaric, and violent aggression."
It claimed that the bombing of the Preah Vihear temple and its surroundings caused "significant damage" to the sacred 11th-century site, calling it a "cultural disaster and moral tragedy" that "may constitute war crimes" under international law.
In a strongly worded statement, Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts decried the attack as a “grave and unacceptable violation of international law,” and a “blatant disregard for obligations to protect cultural heritage.”
The ministry demanded an immediate halt to military activity near the temple, warning of "far-reaching consequences" for global heritage and Cambodian national identity.
The outbreak of violence comes amid political turmoil in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended earlier this month and faces possible dismissal.
Her political future was thrown into question after the leak of a phone call with Cambodia’s influential former leader Hun Sen, in which she reportedly criticized Thailand’s military handling of the dispute.
The timing of her suspension has added to suspicions of internal divisions within Thailand’s leadership as the border conflict intensifies.
Tensions between the two nations had been escalating since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief firefight in the contested Emerald Triangle, where Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos meet.
While both armies claimed self-defense, they have since engaged in saber-rattling, troop buildups, and diplomatic downgrades.
Despite earlier calls by military officials on both sides to de-escalate, the current clashes mark a dangerous new phase, one that now threatens not only civilian lives but also the shared cultural heritage of Southeast Asia.
Cambodia has yet to release a civilian casualty figure, but the damage to the Preah Vihear site has already drawn international alarm.
