The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday recommending that Israeli nationals “avoid entering or staying in the border area” between Thailand and Cambodia in light of the cross-border fighting that erupted between the two countries the previous night.
The ministry emphasized “the northeastern provinces of Thailand and the northwestern provinces of Cambodia” in particular as places to avoid.
Thailand is a popular destination for Israelis, with hundreds of thousands of citizens estimated to travel there annually.
Clashes broke out on Thursday morning near the Khmer Hindu temple Ta Muen Thom, after five Thai soldiers were wounded by mines the previous day, the Guardian reported.
Bangkok, in response, shuttered its northeastern borders with Cambodia and expelled the Cambodian ambassador from the country.
Thailand’s Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said that 11 civilians and one soldier had been killed by Cambodian artillery shelling since the start of the fighting, according to Reuters.
The minister added that 24 civilians and seven military personnel had been wounded.
“The Thai Army condemns Cambodia for using weapons to attack civilians in Thailand. Thailand is ready to protect sovereignty and our people from inhumane action,” the country’s military said in a statement cited by Reuters.
Cambodian troops had opened fire near the temple, and deployed a surveillance drone before sending in troops with heavy weapons, including rocket launchers, the Thai military said, per the Guardian.
Cambodia denied those claims, with its Defense Ministry saying that “Cambodian forces acted strictly within the bounds of self-defence, responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity,” the report added.
A two-country territorial dispute has put a damper on their relations for years, but diplomatic ties took a nosedive in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a confrontation in one of the areas under dispute, according to the Associated Press.
The contesting claims derive largely from a 1907 map drawn under French colonial rule.
Phnom Penh has been using the map as a reference to claim territory, while Bangkok has argued the map is inaccurate.
Later on Thursday, Thailand said that F-16 fighter jets had attacked “military targets” in Cambodia, AP reported.
The Royal Thai Army stated that the fighting has expanded to six different points along the border.
