The Weapons Of Syria’s War [PHOTOS]

By Maya Shwayder | January 31 2013 4:08 PM

Photo: Reuters/Murad Sezer

NATO Patriot Missiles

Soldiers of the German Bundeswehr stand next to equipment, which is part of the Patriot system, at a Turkish military base during media day in Kahramanmaras Thursday.

Photo: Reuters / Amir Cohen

Israeli F16 Fighter Jet

An Israeli F16 fighter jet flies over the southern city of Ashdod Nov. 15, 2012. After three flyovers on Wednesday morning local time, Israeli jets hit targets close to the Syria-Lebanon border.

Photo: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic

Shotgun For Firing Homemade Grenade

A Free Syrian Army fighter uses a shotgun to fire a homemade grenade at Syrian Army soldiers during a fight in the Arabeen neighborhood of Damascus Jan. 24, 2013.

Photo: Reuters/Zain Karam

Military Vehicle

A homemade military vehicle called Sham 1 is seen in Khan al-Assal in Syria Nov. 10, 2012.

Photo: Reuters/Ahmed Jadallah

Homemade Missile

A Free Syrian Army fighter makes homemade missiles at a workshop in north Aleppo Dec. 29, 2012.

Photo: Reuters/Shaam News Network

Homemade Rocket Launcher

Free Syrian Army fighters stand next to a homemade rocket launcher in Sermeen near Idlib Oct. 17, 2012.

Photo: Reuters/Asmaa Waguih

Catapult

Members of the Free Syrian Army use a catapult to launch a homemade bomb during clashes with pro-government soldiers in the city of Aleppo, Oct. 15, 2012.

On Wednesday, NATO announced that two Dutch and two German batteries of Patriot missiles had been deployed in Turkey and are now “actively defending” the southern Turkish cities of Adana and Kharamanmaras. These are four of the six batteries of the anti-aircraft, and anti-missile, missiles that NATO promised Turkey to “augment Turkey’s air defenses.” The remaining two are due to arrive from the United States.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has repeatedly stressed that these batteries are for defensive purposes only.

NATO says its Patriot missiles are capable of defending an area with 3.5 million people.

The Patriot missiles are the latest weapons to enter into the theater of Syria’s war, which, while not quite spilling over yet, has definitely done some sloshing over the edges into Turkey and Lebanon and has recently seen the involvement of Israel. Here’s a roundup of some of the weapons, homemade and otherwise, being used in the two-year civil war in the region.