Question: what was the cause of the battle of zama

title: Battle of Zama
text: Crossing the Alps , Hannibal reached the Italian peninsula in 218 BC and won several major victories against the Roman armies . The Romans failed to defeat him or drive him from Italy , but following Scipio 's decisive victory at the Battle of Ilipa in Spain in 206 BC , Iberia had been secured by the Romans . In 205 BC Scipio returned to Rome , where he was elected consul by unanimous vote . Scipio , now powerful enough , proposed to end the war by directly invading the Carthaginian homeland . The Senate initially opposed this ambitious design of Scipio , persuaded by Quintus Fabius Maximus that the enterprise was far too hazardous . However , Scipio and his supporters eventually convinced the Senate to ratify the plan , and Scipio was given the requisite authority to attempt the invasion . 

Answer: answer: In 205 BC Scipio returned to Rome, now powerful enough, he proposed to end the war by directly invading the Carthaginian homeland.   Scipio and his supporters eventually convinced the Senate to ratify the plan, and Scipio was given the requisite authority to attempt the invasion.