Modern warfare is about the systems that power an F-35, radar arrays, the Iron Dome, David's Sling, precision missiles, drones, satellites, even night vision. This is what rare earths make possible.

China did not just move early on rare earths. It built control over rare earths—control over mining them, control over processing them, and control over separating them. In April 2025, China imposed export restrictions on key rare earth elements. It's about them licensing you technology and getting you hooked.

That means major aerospace and defense companies throughout the world, especially in the United States, can be completely cut off.

Now, enter Trump on the scene. By cutting off Iran's exports to China, the US is taking out one of their key oil suppliers. That means China will not have enough oil to operate for long. Estimates range from two months to four months. They're going to need to trade what the West needs. What's that? You named it: rare earths. This is a major feature of this war.

Here's where Israel enters the story. In this new battlefield, the advantage doesn't go to the country that owns the ground. It goes to the country that knows how to extract value from the ground.

Israel is working to extract rare earth elements from phosphate deposits in the Negev. It is advancing separation technologies—the most complex and valuable part of the entire process. And at the same time, Israel is investing in something fascinating.