The spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA) said Turkey has deployed a Hawk medium-range surface-to-air missile system to Mitiga Airport in Tripoli to protect incoming airplanes from possible airstrikes.

MIM-23 Hawk SAM missiles (Picture source: U.S. Army/Pfc. Nicholas Vidro)

During a press conference on Saturday, Jan.18, Major General Ahmed al-Mismari said "We observed that the Turks have installed an air defense system – I think it is an American Hawk system – in Mitiga Airport in Tripoli. Hundreds, if not thousands, of terrorist mercenaries from the north of Syria and other military officers from Turkey also landed and established a base now to receive forces in Tripoli.

The Libyan National Army (LNA) and its leader General Khalifa Haftar and the head of Tripoli's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, arrived in Berlin, the German capital, on Sunday to attend a peace conference.

The HAWK (Homing All the Way Killer) MIM-23 is an all-weather low-to-medium altitude surface-to-air missile system developed and designed by the American defense company Raytheon. The development of the Hawk semi-active radar seeking medium-range SAM system started in 1952 with the US Army awarding a full-scale development contract to Raytheon for the missile in July 1954.