Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have reignited along their disputed 817-kilometer border, escalating into fresh clashes that have claimed additional lives and threatened a fragile US-brokered ceasefire. Cambodia's Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that two more civilians were killed in overnight Thai airstrikes on border positions, raising the death toll to six since Monday's violence began. One Thai soldier has also been confirmed dead in the exchanges, which both nations blame on the other for initiating. The flare-up marks the most intense fighting since a five-day barrage of rockets and artillery in July 2025, which killed at least 48 people and displaced 300,000 before US President Donald Trump intervened to secure a truce.

The Thai Navy announced early Tuesday that its forces discovered Cambodian troops encroaching into Trat province, prompting immediate military action to repel them, including airstrikes and ground maneuvers. Thai officials accused Cambodian units of reinforcing positions with snipers, heavy weapons, trenches, and additional personnel, describing these as "a direct and serious threat to Thailand's sovereignty." In response, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet condemned the Thai actions on Monday night, warning that "Thailand must not use military force to attack civilian villages under the pretext of reclaiming its sovereignty." Phnom Penh maintained that its forces had not retaliated despite sustained attacks, urging de-escalation to protect non-combatants.

This latest episode underscores the deep-seated historical animosity fueling the conflict, rooted in over a century of territorial disputes exacerbated by ancient Khmer temples like Preah Vihear, which the International Court of Justice awarded to Cambodia in 1962 but continues to spark sovereignty claims. Nationalistic fervor has repeatedly boiled over into violence, including a deadly week of shelling in 2011 that killed dozens. Tensions simmered anew in May 2025 when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish, leading to massive troop buildups, diplomatic breakdowns, and the July clashes that tested regional stability in Southeast Asia.

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The renewed hostilities come amid broader scrutiny of Trump's diplomatic legacy, with reports emerging of similar truce violations in the Congo-Rwanda conflict, raising questions about the durability of his peace initiatives. Both governments have called for international mediation, but analysts warn that without addressing underlying border demarcations—complicated by dense jungles and overlapping claims—the cycle of accusations and artillery could spiral further, displacing communities and straining ASEAN unity. As of Tuesday morning, evacuation orders remained in effect along the frontier, with humanitarian agencies preparing for potential refugee surges.

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