Saudi anti-aircrafts: "The answer is blowin' in the wind"

So, the Saudis say they will provide MANPADs. If true, we ask, for what? 

"... Saudi Arabia plans to supply the Syrian opposition with anti-aircraft missiles to counter President Bashar al-Assad's air force, German news weekly Der Spiegel reports.Sunday's article, citing a classified report received by the German foreign intelligence service and the German government last week, said Riyadh was looking at sending European-made Mistral-class MANPADS, or man-portable air-defence systems....."

... even though, chairman of the JCS Gen. Martin Dempsey 

"...  also estimates that air strikes only account for roughly 10 percent of the total casualties in Syria, which by some estimates exceeds 80,000. Direct fire or artillery account for the remaining 90 percent..."