Anwar, who is still Asean chair, said the fighting risked undoing the careful work that had gone into stabilising relations between the two countries.

“We urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint, maintain open channels of communication and make full use of the mechanisms in place,” he said in a posting on X.

He added that Malaysia was ready to support steps to help restore calm and avert further incidents, saying the region could not afford to see long-standing disputes slip into cycles of confrontation.

“The immediate priority is to halt the fighting, safeguard civilians, and return to a diplomatic path supported by international law and the neighbourly spirit on which Asean depends,” he said.

Separately, foreign minister Mohamad Hasan urged both Thailand and Cambodia to consult one another through bilateral channels at the local level.

“Malaysia believes that through continuous dialogue, constructive diplomatic steps, and respect for existing bilateral mechanisms, peace and stability can be maintained for the common interest of the region,” he said in a statement.

Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodia today, with both sides trading blame for the latest eruption of fighting on their disputed border which saw a Thai soldier killed.

Both sides reported a brief skirmish on Sunday, which Thailand’s military said left two soldiers wounded.

Five days of clashes erupted between Thailand and Cambodia this summer, killing 43 people and displacing around 300,000 before a truce took effect.

The border dispute erupted into a five-day war in July before a ceasefire deal was brokered by Anwar and US president Donald Trump in October. The ceasefire was signed during the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur that month.