Rudy El Zoghbi

Rudy El Zoghbi, better known as the "Zombie" or "The lone and immortal wolf" is a main character of The Division 47 Episode 1 Act 2, during "Operation Save Cedars". He's the leader of the Christian Liberation Front (CFL) , a Christian Militia fighting against the Lebanese Islamic Movement (LIM) at the beginning of 2003-2006 during Lebanon's Second Civil War.

Origins
Chapter 14 : Relaxed times

Enzo: "Ehm… Sorry for going out of context. I don't know if Mencey knows, but he hasn't told us yet, but could you explain to us why at 24 you are the commander of a great Christian militia? And also, could you explain why everyone knows you as the "Zombie" or "the lone and immortal wolf"?"

Rudy: "Well… it would be a long story. Um… to begin with, while we were still in the first civil war, some LIM soldiers stormed our house, in some mountains a little to the east. We didn't have weapons, and we didn't have many resources. Before they could break into our house… my father hid with my mother, my dog ​​and my sister in an underground floor… a den, while I was in my room, hiding behind the door while holding a scissors. I was alone and scared, but, I knew a bit what I was doing… When a soldier entered my bedroom door, I climbed over him and stabbed him deeply in the neck. He yelled a bit, but the other soldiers didn't hear him, so I grabbed his gun, an AK-47, and went after them. It was difficult at first to pick up the gun since it weighed a lot. When I could get it right…"

Ayoola (interested): And what happened?

'Rudy: "They had already entered the den. So, I put the Ak-47 aside, and instead of going down the stairs, I jumped while clutching the scissors in one hand. As I fell, I began to see the cave from above, due to the lanterns lit by the enemies. Falling, I managed to stab a soldier guarding the entrance. There was another LIM fighter who was in a position further into the den, and he saw me stab his partner, so he started shooting at me. I was able to protect myself from their shots by using the corpse of the soldier I stabbed as a shield. When he ran out of rounds, he went to kill me with a machete, but thanks to my martial arts, I was able to dodge his blows and at the same time knock him out in an instant with a knee kick across the chin, just when he tripped over the corpse of his friend. After, when I saw that the place was clear I called my family, who in the end came to me, and my father took care of the knocked out soldier. It has been the hardest moment of my life, but that experience made me mature a lot. The next day I was in all the national newspapers, and I was just an 8-year-old boy. The commander of the CFL, at that time, welcomed me and trained me to become the warrior that I am today. He told me in front of his men that when he is no longer in command, I would become the new Commander of the CFL. That man has sent me to many hells since I was only 15 years old. I have survived every confrontation, and at times, I was the sole survivor of every Operation. I have destroyed enemy bases, I have collected secret and prestigious information from the LIM since then. I have received many shots and I have carried many wounds with me… But death, for the moment, has not knocked on my door… Every Lebanese feared me, and they continue to fear me today, although a little less than before. The LIM put a price on my head at 17 years old: 40 million Lebanese pounds."                                                                                                                                                          Rudy explaining his origins to the ThugLife BG' members.

"Operation Save Cedars"
Since 2003-February 2006 the CFL and LIM are in war: it's the 2nd Lebanese Civil War. It's a war to see who gains more territory and it's also a religious war. It all started when some Christians who idolater the acts of the Lebanese Forces back during the first civil war, started to kill tons of Muslim civilians. The CFL had nothing to do with those massacres, but the LIM leaders and members were angry enough to put the blame on them and start the 2nd Civil War.

In 2006, Rudy received an email from The Division 47, who guaranteed the young leader some help from The Division 47 Operators and of course, an old friend of his, Mencey, who met the young leader in 2004 during the Spanish army's peace mission in Lebanon. When the two met at the CFL's main base, in Kahaleh, February 7th of 2006, they both argued about Lebanon's situation. Rudy filled with anger, wanted to eradicate the LIM, while Mencey and Isaac, leader of the IJM and ally of the CFL, wanted Rudy's army to make peace with the enemy. The reason was to make a coalition to face the IDF forces who were possibly preparing an invasion in the South of the country. After the small conversation, they had to leave Kahaleh to take action in another CFL camp, around Terbol, where a confrontation between the LIM and CFL was taking place. Rudy, few of his combatants and few of the 33 out of 180 Operators of their Operation, traveled to Terbol in a hurry in an attempt to defend successfully their base. Rudy, who drove a truck, dropped the ThugLife BG operators 10 minutes away from Terbol's CFL base, while he took an elevated position in some Mountains nearby, to observe the perimeter, to analyze the situation and of course, to take enemy lives with his sniper rifle. When he saw that there was no way to turn around the offensive taken by the LIM, he decided to pick up the Operators and retreat to a nearby camp in Chtoura, where Isaac had already prepared his men for defensive positions. Arriving at Chtoura, he goes to one of the camp's roofs with DrewCar, a Canadian Sniper from the Division 47, to take sniping positions and wait for the LIM trucks and men to arrive. After three minutes of tension, 400 to 800 LIM warriors appeared from every side: from the mountains, from the roads...Rudy and DrewCar had a lot of kills from up there, spotting the LIM snipers who were bothering his troops. After a long confrontation, Isaac and the Operators have spotted the enemy's mortars right in the mountains and announced lately the news to Rudy and DrewCar. Few seconds before the mortars impacted, Rudy and DrewCar jumped off the roof with the waves of the explosions coming afterwards. DrewCar was fine, but Rudy felt the impact, and was dizzy and hurt for a short period of time. DrewCar helped him to get up, and after doing so, they both went to fight alongside the ThugLife BG operators and Isaac, who were defending the place at the front of the camp. When they arrived, 3 ThugLife BG operators had to put one of their injured men inside the hospital facility. They kept fighting and putting pressure into the LIM warriors until they couldn't fight anymore. When the enemy surrendered, there were only 13 LIM militants left against more than 200 soldiers of the "Zombie".

Mencey arguments with Rudy about spreading or not the lives of the enemy and end the 2nd Civil War. At first, Mencey being ignored by Rudy who killed 5 LIM soldiers, he began to be anxious about the consequences that could take place if Rudy didn't change the country's situation. He then decided to talk to Isaac to convince the young leader. After a short talk between the two, Rudy took his time to think about his actions...then made this speech:

'Rudy (looking at Mencey and Isaac, then at the prisoners): "Look, I didn't kill you, and you'll wonder why. I did not want to kill the 5 other soldiers of the LIM, but I had no choice, since my emotions had taken control of my conscience. But actually, I have not killed you because, I finally want to make peace with the LIM and Hezbollah. I am Rudy, better known as Zombie, the lone and immortal wolf. Your mortar could have killed me, but here I am, in front of you and judging your future, or should I say, our future. The LIM is not a terrorist group, Hezbollah may be, but it is not as much as Israel. My partner, the one who defended you, is called Isaac, a Jew. He's fighting for your lives. He is the leader of the IJM: Israeli Justice Movement. He wants murderous and corrupt Israelis or Jews to pay for their killings towards you, innocent people who practice a religion that should be respected and embraced by everyone. I am not killing you, because I trust you, and I know, that you are not the enemy. The problem isn't just the government. Our government is nothing more than corruption, but the South, that's where the serious and serious problems are. (In Arabic: Take off the ropes) Brothers, I want you to take me to the LIM headquarters, to negotiate an agreement, an alliance that will bring down those who want to invade and bring us down. We are all Lebanese. We are all from here. We are humble people, people from the country or city, it doesn't matter! We are all brothers and cousins. We all share the same blood. (several seconds of silence) Starting today, I will not kill any Muslim men or women belonging to the LIM, and I do not want to be forced to continue killing many more of ours. I want to finally make peace."'

The prisoners, who hesitated at first, accepted Rudy's offer and were liberated, but were under the CFL's vigilance. He made a deal with one of the prisonners: Hassan Karim, son of Tabek Karim (LIM leader). Hassan promised to take Rudy to their main base in Younine tomorrow's date (the 8th). After the deal was made, he returned with the rest of Operators and learned how to play poker with his new friends. He had fun, even though he didn't know the rules very well. The 8th, after being stopped multiple times by the LIM security, they finally reached Younine. At the main entrance the CFL trucks were stopped by multiple LIM forces who were about to shoot at the vehicle, until Hassan spoke and explained what was happening. After a while, the faction's leaders reunited in Tabek Karim's underground office, who was guarded by 10 armed soldiers. Tabek, who was eating his lunch and who was disgusted by his son's betrayal, didn't want to listen to him. Rudy tried to explain himself: justifying at first that they weren't the Muslim killers in Beirut and that they wanted nothing more than peace. Hassan who defended Rudy, was rejected by his dad. Before his dad could give the order to kill the Factions leaders, Hassan stabbed Tabek in the heart and took his position as new leader of the LIM. He then made a speech to his people, which at first were shocked at the fact that Hassan killed his own dad, but when Hassan justified his actions with Rudy's arguments, the people of Younine were convinced and accepted with open arms the alliance between the two factions. Rudy gave a hug to Hassan and people overreacted. Rudy then stayed in a corner and tried not to cry of happiness. At night, there was a celebration between the two factions in Lebanon: a ceremony that will officialize the alliance and end the 2nd Civil War. Before the ceremony took place, all the factions leaders reunited at the Operation's room, an underground secret site that was used in case they needed to hide civilians when an invasion of the IDF would take place. Hassan showed them the areas of Operations of Hezbollah (his allies) and talked to Rudy saying that Hezbollah does not approve the alliance yet. Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, told Hassan to tell Rudy that he must prevent one of the Christian terrorist attacks in Beirut or elsewhere. Only by doing so, the CFL and The Division 47 Operators could join Hezbollah's cause to fight the IDF in the South to prevent a possible invasion.

After 2 months waiting in Kahaleh, Rudy received a call from one of his men located in Tripoli (mainly a Muslim city), where the Christian terrorists were attacking the US ambassador's house. The US ambassador was half Lebanese and American, with a Muslim background. Rudy after hanging up the call, he communicated the situation to his men and took a lot of them to go to Tripoli, with the objective of saving the ambassador's life and gain Hezbollah's respect. When they reached the place, the terrorists were surrounding the ambassador's house. While the Operators and CFL were struggling to reach the ambassador's house, Rudy and few of his men went to the roofs of an apartment to try and reduce the enemy's defenses. They killed tons of snipers and terrorists who were trying to reach the house while Mencey's team was trying to clean it from the inside, looking for the ambassador. Meanwhile the battle was taking place, the Lebanese government police and few Spanish soldiers came to the aid of the CFL and Operators, making the terrorists retreat. After taking the ambassador and his family to a safer place, they all returned to Kahaleh. After few weeks, they received the green light from Hezbollah and they all traveled to the South, most precisely in Ramyeh, where Hezbollah's second in command was.

The day when "Operation Truthful Promise" took place, Rudy with few LIM and Hezbollah soldiers had to attack a communications post from the IDF at the North of Israel few kilometers from the borders. While they were sabotaging the communications post, Hezbollah and LIM forces who were awaiting 2 Humvees, striked the 2 armored vehicles and took two soldiers of the IDF as hostages. After attacking and sabotaging the communication's post, they returned back to Lebanon, most precisely to Ayta Ash-Shaab. Hezbollah's commander, Imad, ordered his own men to prepare mines and to take defensive positions against an IDF tank, few IDF trucks and an helicopter that were going towards them. When they arrived, the tank was destroyed after stepping on an anti-tank mine. The helicopter retreated and the IDF trucks and troops got killed because of Hezbollah's heavy artillery. Hezbollah celebrated the victory along with the LIM and the rest. Rudy then went to his room and slept all day, knowing that they have just started a war with Israel. At 3:00 am in the morning 2 IDF bombers passed by Ayta Ash-Shaab, destroying few missile stocks, killing and injuring few warriors.

After days passed, Maroun Al-Ras, an important city for Hezbollah had been invaded by the IDF, allowing them to bring more men into the country. Next to Maroun Al-Ras, was Bint Jbeil: a destroyed city who had never been taken by Israel in its 18 years of rivalry. Imad sent Rudy and Hassan to secure the place with Khalid Bazzi, known as "The Prince of the battlefield". They entered the city throughout Hezbollah's bunkers and met the prince of the battlefield himself:

Chapter 17 : Battle of Bint Jbeil (24/06/2006)

Khalid Bazzi: "Hi, you used the bunkers to get here. The vehicles?"

Hassan: "They were taken back to the village of ash-Shaab."

Khalid Bazzi: "Good."

Rudy: "And… how are we doing?"

Khalid Bazzi: "Nothing, all good for now. Israel has not been able to resist sending bombs in recent weeks. Imad told me that we lost Maroun, and that, I will not allow. Our men have located around 2,000 IDF soldiers around the city. They have not attacked yet, they are only blocking any entrance and any exit, be it civilians or soldiers."

Rudy: "Ok… If they are 2,000, us?"

Khalid Bazzi: "With you, we are 150."

Ayoola: "Tchey… 150…"

Khalid Bazzi (smiling): "Numbers don't matter here, only brave men matter. We have to spread out over different buildings. This one is mine. Hassan you and some of your men will stay here. With 30 men it will be enough. The rest of you can keep the second building behind us. Go down. Cover yourselves among the remains of the road. Bint Jbeil has a "love and hate" story against the IDF. We have been resisting those rats for 18 years. The city will not fall into their hands day or night, today or tomorrow. May god protect you. My snipers will cover you from here."

Rudy, who was in command of his building, organized his men and divided them by floors. He was relaxed, even though they were 150 against 2,000 elite soldiers. Not even 15 minutes inside, there was a crossfire between Hezbollah and its allies against few men and woman of the IDF, who came from multiple directions, hiding behind the destroyed buildings. The crossfire at first was intense...but with time, it slowed down and it all became a duel of snipers. Rudy and DrewCar were the best at that. They did not waste any bullet of theirs when the opportunity to kill an enemy was presented in their faces. Days passed, and the same thing happened almost every single day: intense crossfire and sniper duels. Rudy's building lost 11 men, mostly Hezbollah and CFL warriors. He started to get worried over time when he saw his building getting destroyed every single day by the enemies missiles, and of course, seeing more of his men die during the first seconds of battle. Mencey who was also in the same building of his, consolidated him every time one of his men died. Days were stressful as the nights. Rudy didn't sleep all day and was sometimes tired...all that due to the situation they were stuck: around 150 vs supposedly 2,000 IDF soldiers who turned out to be 5,000 after Philip 's information during the day of the 25th.

3 days later, the IDF came up with almost everything they've got, and took many lives from their eternal enemy. Rudy focused on his targets, while more members of his team were dying, didn't hesitate in thanking the Operators and the rest for their contribution to Lebanon:

Chapter 18 : ANOTHER WEDNESDAY?

The IDF, the Maglan, the Egoz, had already prepared what it would be, the final assault and the victory expected by Israel. The Israeli Army was ready to finally capture Bint Jbeil, a city unbeaten by Hezbollah to this day ...

Rudy: "I ​​hear a bird arrive."

Khalid Bazzi (Radio): "Enemy missiles! Take cover!"

'The bombers destroyed most of the buildings that were in the Hezbollah occupation zone, but there were no casualties, but many wounded. 2 helicopters with missiles and some IDF soldiers decided to enter and attack the enemy forces in an open confrontation.'

Rocky (radio): "Go for the bait!"

Rudy: "Helicopters seem to be taking care of Khalid's men, let's focus on the sons of bitches shooting at us from the buildings."

CanaryBeast: "That's it. Let's go!"

Alex (receiving intense fire while taking cover behind a wall, scared): "Oups ... they're going all out."

Ayoola: "Six of our men down!"

Hugo: "And two more! Mencey, we have to back off! If we stay here, we'll be the bait!"

Rocky (glaring at him): "Ha, good funky joke. Aim your rifle and take lives!"

Hugo (whispering): … "Son of a bitch."

Rudy: "Sniper downed in the building ahead."

CanaryBeast: "Team on the right. RPG attack, over there Rocky."

'Rocky: "Let's go!" (shooting)'

CanaryBeast (a little disappointed with the shot): "Come on man, aim better!"

Rocky (frustrated): "Shit ..."

David Cabo: "The bastards are very well covered."

CanaryBeast: "Then try to shoot them in the head if they pop out!"

Rudy: "We have to shoot them with everything we’ve got."

DrewCar: "Do we have enough ammo though?"

Rudy: "No ... I don’t think so."

DrewCar: "What can be done will be done ..."

Rudy: "If we don't make it… I just want to say that it has been an unforgettable experience…"

Ayoola: "Yes guys ..."

CanaryBeast: "Don't start… there is still a fight going on… We will make it. If you start thinking like that, they will kill you for sure. We must show them that we are superior. For The Division 47 and for Lebanon!"

Group (motivated): "For the Division and for Lebanon!"

(4 hours 16 minutes later)

As usual, the shots diminished over time. The two helicopters almost destroyed by the missiles, got away from the battleground. At 10:00 am the typical sniper duel returned. But two hours later, the IDF returned to the field stronger than ever. The first shots were theirs: with both assault and sniper rifles, with bombers and with missiles. Many buildings were totally destroyed, killing more than 20 soldiers and wounding 8 soldiers. Several Operators thought that the best thing would be to leave the building and leave the place, although Mencey and Rocky thought otherwise.

Rudy: "We have to get out of here! If we get more shots from the IDF, no one here makes it out alive, including myself!"

Hugo: "I agree with Rudy!"

Adam: "Me too!"

Rocky: "Negative! The building, (coughing), is still standing!"

Rudy: "We have lost many! Think for once, for fuck sake!"

Rocky: "Shut up, asshole! Sergeant what do you say?!"

CanaryBeast: "Let's stay here 10 more minutes! If we see that we can no longer handle their attacks, then we will back off and retreat!

Rudy: "Are you sure you want to wait?"

CanaryBeast: "I am. If we leave, we would be more likely to be fried than up here!"

Rudy: "I ​​hope you're right, but if I see that this is too much, we leave!"

CanaryBeast (frustrated): "You if you want to leave, just go! I will defend the position!"

Rudy: "No, we defend it together for now!"

Enzo: "Missile!"

CanaryBeast: "Take cover!"

(Missile deflected)

Enzo: "Almost."

Unknown man (private radio): "Sergeant CanaryBeast, tell your allies not to fire on our helicopters. I repeat, allies on the way. We coming down from the Moon."

CanaryBeast (Radio): "To all the warriors of Bint Jbeil, this is CanaryBeast, “building 2-2”, do not shoot the helicopter gunships that come from the sky! I repeat, allies on the way! (Channel closed) El Hadji, glad to hear from you buddy."

Rudy: "Who is El Hadji?"

El Hadji (Radio): "I told you that I owed you many, and this is the first of them. Shoot! Go get them! So Coma!"

So Coma's helicopters, just like Bint Jbeil's defenders, managed to push back the IDF. The So Coma missiles, influenced fear and confusion among the Israeli soldiers, causing them to withdraw from the battlefield and even more, from the entire city. After 20 minutes of intense fire, and after El Hadji clarified the situation from the air, Bint Jbeil's men screamed like crazy. Bint Jbeil, after 18 years of history, has not yet been conquered by the eternal rival. El Hadji got out of the helicopter and waited for his Canarian friend right in the middle of the road while Mencey was still celebrating with his colleagues their victory from the fifth floor. Meanwhile Rudy was still confused by the fact the Mencey hadn't told him anything about his backup plan. Mencey then assured him that he didn't say anything because he didn't want to bring false hope to his men. Rudy then along the other Operators thanked El Hadji for his service. Lebanon had finally won the war against Israel, an enemy who seemed to be superior. Rudy was proud of his accomplishments as a CFL soldier, but took the decision to serve The Division 47 by joining Mencey's ThugLife BG and guarantying them a base on the West side mountains. He gave up his rank to his younger sister Mashi Zoghbi, who was as tough as the "Zombie". Rudy then left Lebanon to fight for better causes.

Personality
Rudy is a warrior. He has green eyes, he wears an earring on his left ear like Mencey, and he has most of the time a freshly trimmed beard. He was, according to the Lebanese people, a very handsome but occasionally arrogant person (before making peace with the LIM). He was calm and didn't mind other peoples' opinions. He's a caring man and an Icon for most Christians in Lebanon, which he doesn't care much about being an Icon, although he kind off likes the sound of it. He's best friends with Mencey and Philip Noujiaim, then with the rest of ThugLife BG. When he signed his contract in The Division 47, he wore ThugLife's BG uniform: wearing number 1 as his number and having "Zombie" as his official nickname.