Cambodia has ramped up rocket attacks at the Thai military’s position near the disputed Ta Muen Thom temple along its border with Thailand. On July 24th and July 25th 2025, Cambodian forces began to bombard Thai positions with BM 21 rocket launchers and heavy artillery using a sustained bombardment. Cambodian officials were adamant they were responding in self defence to what they termed Thai incursions into territory they view as sacred. In the attack, Thai officials reported a rocket hit Sisaket province where at least 11 civilians and one soldier were killed and many other civilians were injured in two buildings, an Agro supplier and a petrol station near a Thai Army site. The Thai military has classified these strikes as deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and a potential war crime, particularly noting the increase in attacks against civilian targets after an abandoned hospital near Surin was shelled. To make matters worse both sides have cut diplomatic channels, expelled each other’s ambassadors and closed border crossings amidst warnings of possible further military escalation. More than 100,000 civilians, mostly Thai, have fled these conflict zones to shelters across at least four border provinces. Cambodia has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council citing Thai aggressive provocations among other issues. Thailand is adamant it is responding to provocations and that it is acting in a measured attempt to defend its sovereignty.
