Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can’t stop an imminent Russian-Syrian-Iranian axis offensive against Idlib province, but he is complicating that endeavor in a number of ways.

First off, Erdogan is reinforcing Turkish control over arterial supply routes that connect Idlib with Turkey. As first reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Thursday, Turkish military convoys are moving armored vehicles, including tanks, toward Turkish observation posts (small military bases) in Idlib. This reinforcement is designed to ensure that Turkish forces can defeat any attacks by Bashar Assad’s military or militias. The Turkish military and Assad despise each other, so the potential for a conflagration is significant.