Bangkok, December 11 - On December 8, 2025, Royal Thai Air Force JAS-39E Gripen fighters conducted a precise airstrike against a large casino-resort complex near Poipet, Cambodia, just 300 meters from the Thai border in Sa Kaeo province. Thai military sources confirmed the target, identified as the Crown Paradise Casino, had been converted by non-state armed groups into a rear-area base housing multiple BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket systems and storage facilities for long-range FPV kamikaze drones. Intelligence indicated these weapons were being prepared for attacks on Thai border towns following weeks of escalating cross-border rocket and drone incidents that wounded several Thai civilians and damaged infrastructure.
The operation involved two Gripen E aircraft from Wing 7 at Surat Thani, armed with GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs and Laser JDAM kits. The jets entered Cambodian airspace briefly at low altitude, released ordnance over the target at approximately 04:20 local time, and returned to Thai airspace without encountering resistance. Secondary explosions recorded by Thai reconnaissance drones confirmed the destruction of at least six BM-21 launchers, ammunition stockpiles, and a drone assembly workshop inside the casino outbuildings. The main hotel tower sustained limited structural damage, but the gaming floors and rear warehouse area were heavily hit.
The Royal Thai Army stated the strike was carried out under Article 51 self-defense provisions after repeated unsuccessful diplomatic attempts to persuade Cambodian authorities to dismantle the site. Bangkok emphasized that only military targets within the complex were engaged and that civilian casualties were avoided through the use of precision-guided munitions with small warheads. Cambodian officials confirmed the incident but described it as an “act of aggression,” claiming the facility was a civilian entertainment venue despite visible military equipment in satellite imagery released by the Thai Ministry of Defence the previous week.
The raid marks the first known combat employment of Thailand’s newest Gripen E/F fleet, acquired in 2024–2025 under the Gripen Sustainability Program with Saab. The successful neutralization of the rocket and drone threat has temporarily eased tensions along the border, though both nations have placed additional troops on alert. International reaction remains muted, with ASEAN calling for urgent dialogue while quietly acknowledging Thailand’s evidence of imminent attacks originating from the casino compound.