Cambodia Claims Thailand Started a New Clash – Found to be a Video Game Image Featuring a World War II-Era Aircraft

Thai PBS Verify found the source: Facebook.

A screenshot shows a post claiming Thailand launched an air attack on Cambodia.

Thai PBS Verify found a post by a Cambodian Facebook user named ទ័ព ព្រំដែន  who shared an image claiming it represented a new outbreak of hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia, with the message:

“ពុក លើកនេះគេលេងយើងធ្ងន់ណាស់ពុក សូមពុកប្រើសិទ្ធការពារខ្លួន ការពារទឹកដីរបស់ពុក“

English Translation: “Father, this time they are attacking us severely. Please use your rights to self-defense and protect your land, Father.”

Within just one hour of publication, the post received over 2,700 comments and was shared more than 2,700 times.

Is the image a real Thai fighter jet?

Verification using Google Lens identified the aircraft in the image as a Junkers Ju-87, also known as the “Stuka,” which was a German dive bomber from World War II.

Google Lens search results identified the aircraft in the image as a Junkers Ju-87.

Furthermore, a keyword search found that the image was taken from a Reel clip posted by the Xeno Gaming account on September 20, 2025. The clip is merely a recorded segment from a video game (Click to view the archived original content).

The image from the post claiming a Thai fighter jet launched an attack on Cambodia (left) is compared with the image from the Facebook user’s video game clip on Reels (right).

Example clip

We also used the Invid-Weverify magnification tool to compare the image from the post with a well-preserved Junkers Ju-87 currently on display at the Royal Air Force Museum (RAF Museum). This comparison clearly showed that the aircraft in the post matched the Junkers Ju-87 (Click to view the archived original content).

The image from the post claiming a Thai jet attacked Cambodia (top) compared with the Junkers Ju-87 displayed at the Royal Air Force Museum (RAF Museum) (bottom).

Does the Royal Thai Air Force possess this type of aircraft?

Upon checking with the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), Air Marshal Jackkrit Thammavichai, the RTAF Spokesperson, confirmed that the bomber aircraft in the post was not an RTAF aircraft used for air operations against Cambodian military areas (Click to view the archived original content).

Air Marshal Jackkrit Thammavichai, the RTAF Spokesperson

What is the truth?

The information is fake news created from a video game. An inspection of the fighter jet image via Google Lens revealed it to be the Junkers Ju-87, also known as the “Stuka,” a German dive bomber from World War II, which the Royal Thai Air Force does not currently use.

The RTAF Spokesperson clearly confirmed that the image was not an RTAF aircraft used in any operations. Furthermore, checking the source of the footage revealed that the photo was just a video game’s scene, taken from a Reel by a Facebook user.

The use of video game footage and images of old-era weaponry, combined with such aggressive messaging, has a clear intent to incite hatred and completely undermine relations between the two countries.

Impacts of this false information

1. Causes panic and misunderstanding at the national level: the post was shared over 2,700 times in a short time, creating a severe misunderstanding among the Cambodian public that Thailand had initiated an aerial attack.
2. Undermines international relations: false information related to national security and military attacks has the potential to destroy diplomatic relations and create unnecessary border tension.
3. Incites hatred: the message accusing “Thailand of launching a severe attack” has a clear intent to incite nationalistic sentiment and hatred between the peoples of the two countries.