Cambodian woman, Soklang Sareoun, 28, greets her dogs she returns home after five days in Prasat Roboeuk village, Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, Tuesday, July 29, 2025, after a ceasefire was supposed to take effect Monday night between Thailand and Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Thailand said on Tuesday he would tell Bangkok if confirmed in the post that conflicts like Thailand's recent border skirmish with Cambodia do nothing to help the Thai people or the country's alliance with Washington.

The UN Security Council held an emergency closed-door meeting Friday in New York. Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to the hostilities and offered to mediate.

"The U.S. already flunked the test and that should be a wakeup call," a former senior U.S. State Department official told Newsweek.

At least eight civilians were killed in attacks in a disputed border area between Cambodia and Thailand on Thursday, according to authorities. Thailand said Cambodian soldiers opened fire on a military base in Surin.