Lebanon's UN mission says exploded pagers and walkie-talkies were tampered with by "foreign entities"

 The walkie-talkies and pagers that exploded earlier this week in Lebanon were tampered with by “foreign entities,” according to a letter from Lebanon’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

“It is estimated that these devices were tampered with from foreign entities before being delivered to Lebanon and modified to send electronic signals that led these devices to be exploded,” according to a letter from the mission dated Thursday and obtained by CNN.

The letter was presented to UN Security Council members ahead of a Friday afternoon meeting about the attacks. 

More context: On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tacitly acknowledged his country’s role in the twin attacks, saying a “new era” in Israel’s war effort is beginning on the northern front.

The pager explosions came after Israel on Monday voted to add another war objective to its conflict with Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah: ensuring the safe return of residents from communities along its northern border with Lebanon to their homes.