Rare Earths: How China’s Export Ban is Crippling Israel’s Defenses

In this GVS Deep Dive, Najma Minhas breaks down how China’s April 2025 rare earth export restrictions are silently reshaping the battlefield—without a single missile launched. 

 As Israel faces war on multiple fronts—from Gaza and southern Lebanon to a full-scale confrontation with Iran—its high-tech missile defense systems, including the Iron Dome, Arrow-3, and David’s Sling, are facing a new kind of threat: supply chain collapse. 

China, which supplies over 70% of the world’s refined rare earth elements, has banned all military-use exports. With U.S. and Israeli stockpiles depleted from years of war, even the world’s most advanced weapons are becoming unusable. 

This episode exposes the overlooked frontline of 21st-century warfare: who controls the materials of war, controls the war itself. 

 📊 Topics covered: 

• Rare earth materials in Israeli and U.S. weapons systems 

• China’s supply chain leverage and export licensing regime 

• The economic and military cost of Israel’s war with Iran 

• Why the F-35, Iron Dome, and Arrow-3 are now at risk 

• Can China enforce peace through mineral denial?