Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday warned Hezbollah militants against dragging the country of Lebanon into war. 

The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite group has been engaging Israeli troops along the border since October 8, the day after Hamas militants launched their attack on Israel, killing 1,200 civilians.  

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday vowed to continue attacking Israeli as well as US troops in the region until Israel ends its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, where the terror group Hamas is based.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah fighters were introducing new, heavier weaponry in their agitations against Israel, saying the militant group would continue to use border skirmishes as a way to pressure Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Gallant warned the group against escalation. "Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon into a potential war," he said in a video message to Israeli troops. "It is making mistakes ... and those who will pay the price are first and foremost Lebanon's citizens," he said. "What we are doing in Gaza, we can do in Beirut."