Thailand Launches 'Land War' Operation Against Cambodia

• 24.07.2025, 18:40

Ground units and aviation are involved.

Thailand's armed forces have launched Operation Land War involving ground units and aircraft, Khaosod reports.

The use of F-16 fighter jets is reported, as well as the destruction of two Cambodian tanks at one of the checkpoints.

The source of tension on the Thai-Cambodian border remains a more than century-long dispute over the territories of the Pra Vihear and Ta Moan Thom temple complexes. In 1962, the UN International Court of Justice ruled that Pra Vihear belongs to Cambodia, but this did not bring the disputes to an end.

In 2008, Thai authorities challenged Cambodia's listing of the temple complex as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fighting erupted in areas adjacent to the border between 2008 and 2011.

The Thai authorities earlier urged its citizens to urgently leave Cambodia amid a series of clashes on the border between the two countries. Diplomats believe the conflict "will drag on and could widen further."

The embassy also asked citizens to refrain from any non-essential travel to Cambodia. Thai authorities, meanwhile, decided to evacuate residents of four provinces along the border with Cambodia.

The escalating conflict between Thailand and Cambodia began with a firefight between soldiers along a disputed stretch of the border. Thai authorities said the fighting has spread to at least six districts.

Cambodian forces have launched strikes with Grad multiple rocket launchers on civilian infrastructure. There are civilian casualties and injuries. In response, the Thai Air Force attacked targets inside Cambodia.