Imagine you're Bashar Assad

Goal: You want to start a war and defeat Israel.

Complication: Israel's army is way, way stronger than yours and would quickly destroy your army without expending too much effort.

Solution: Build civilian villages along the border, in the middle of the projected battlefield. When war comes you'll be able to hide behind the newly settled civilians. Israel will have moral qualms about attacking with so many civilians around, but you won't, so you'll gain the advantage.

But of course, only Israel commits war crimes in the Middle East.