Armed clashes on the remote, disputed border between Cambodia and Thailand killed at least 12 people on Thursday, in a dramatic escalation of tensions that threatens to erupt into a broader conflict.

Cambodian rocket attacks led to 14 Thai civilian deaths on July 24. Thailand retaliated with fighter jet strikes on military targets.

Cambodia is seeking to "internationalise the issue to serve its own political objectives", Thailand’s ambassador to the United Nations Cherdchai Chaivaivid told a closed-door UN Security Council meeting.