Hezbollah leader visits top Shiite cleric

The leader of the militant Hezbollah group Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has made a rare trip to visit to a top Shiite cleric who is in Lebanon for medical checkups.

It is rare for Nasrallah to make public appearances, or leave his secret locations, for fear of assassination by Israel.

The Hezbollah media office said Tuesday that Nasrallah visited Grant Ayatollah Bashir al-Najafi and discussed with him “Muslim affairs.” It did not elaborate or say where the meeting took place.

Najafi arrived in Beirut last week where he was supposed to undergo medical tests.

Najafi, a Pakistani, is one of the most influential Shiite clerics worldwide and has been based in the Iraqi Shiite holy city of Najaf for decades. He is one of four top Shiite clerics based in Najaf.