Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, speaking about the situation in Lebanon, said that Israel's northern border is currently at a topographic disadvantage: the Israeli military is in the valley while Hezbollah forces hold the high ground, making the border difficult to defend. He publicly questioned why the necessity of Israel having a defensible border could not be explained to former U.S. President Trump, hinting at seeking American support to change the current border security situation.