A series of momentous developments in Syria’s rebel-held province of Idlib in recent weeks have raised the specter of the grave scenario that awaits Turkey in the Syrian crisis. It all started with Turkey’s failure to shield rebel forces in Idlib, as they had expected. The regime offensive that led to the fall of Khan Sheikhoun last month left the Turkish military observation post at Morek besieged. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rushed to Moscow, only to return empty-handed, as hundreds of Syrians stormed Turkey’s borders, furious over its inaction.

The risk of a new refugee wave aside, the situation now threatens to render Turkey both a hostage to the crisis and a target of armed groups.

Demonstrations after Friday prayers have become a fixture in Syria since the uprising erupted in 2011. On Aug. 30, those demonstrations turned against Turkey, the steadiest supporter of both the civilian and armed opposition. Clearly, Erdogan’s Aug. 27 trip to Moscow, which saw him lick ice-cream with his counterpart Vladimir Putin and admire Russian jets at an aerospace fair, led the Syrian opposition to believe Idlib was “sold out.” What Erdogan got in Moscow was just Russian military police protection for the besieged Turkish outpost and a promise for some temporary and selective cease-fire. Angry Syrians responded by marching to the frontier under the slogan “Millions tearing down the Turkish border.”

In extraordinary scenes at two border crossings between Turkey and Idlib, demonstrators shouted slogans calling Turkey and its military “traitors” and “collaborators” of Russia. “We are going to Reyhanli to teach them what it is to sell us out,” some protesters chanted, referring to a Turkish town across the border, as others burned an Erdogan poster. Many were injured as the Turkish security forces used tear gas and water cannons to stop the charging crowds, and fired warning shots in the air. Similar protests were held in Idlib and the towns of Jisr al-Shughur and Sarmada.